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THE  LIBRARY 

OP  THE 

UNIVERSITY  8F  ILLINOIS 


C.     II.     SALMONS. 


THE  BURLINGTON  STRIKE: 


ITS  MOTIVES   AND   METHODS, 

INCLUDING 


THE  CAUSES  OF  THE  STRIKE, 

REMOTl  DIRECT, 

AND 

THE  RELATIONS  TO  IT,  <  >NS 

OF 
LO  RS, 

LOC 
SW1  M.     A.    A., 

BY 

ORDER    ,  -KE.MEN, 

ORDER    RAI:  iRS, 

AND  KNIGH  IS  Ol 

The  Great  Dynamite  Conspiracy; 

ENDING   WITH 
A  SKETCH   BY   C.    II.    FRISBIE; 

Forty-Seven  Years  on  a  Locomotive. 


FROM    AUTHENTIC   DOCUMENTS   AND   LIVING    WITNESSES. 

\ 

Compiled  by  C.  H.  SALMONS. 


AURORA,   ILL.  : 
PRESS    OF    BUNNELL    AND   WARD, 

iSSg. 


ZJ 


6 


J- 


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UU9\f\ 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in   June,    iSSi, 

By  C.  H.  Salmons, 

In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington ,  D.  C 

All  Rights  Reserved. 


3  3I.B1 


TO 

tM  (§x<ku  (glen  tx^oae  $b#erence  to  (princq>fe 

INVOLVED  THE   POSSIBLE 

SACRIFICE   OF   HOME   AND   MEANS   OF   LIFE, 

IN   THE   LABOR   CONTEST 

WITH 

THE    CHICAGO,    BURLINGTON   &   QUINCY    R.    R.    COMPANY, 

DURING    TM1.    YEAR    l888, 

IN    DEEP    SYMPATHY    WITH    THE    FAMILIES   OF    THOSE 

WHO     LOST   THEIR    LIVES 

AS    A    RESULT   OF    THE    MADNESS 

OF    A    COMPANY    WHICH    BROUGHT    UPON    THEIR 

FAITHFUL    SERVANTS 

THIS    MOST    INIQUITOUS   CONTEST. 


Q0g  ttyeix  Sincere  ijrienbe 

THE  COMMITTEE  OF  PUBLICATION. 

CHAS.    H.    SALMONS, 

COMPILER. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 
The  Strike. — Peaceful  Methods. — The  Engineer,  -      7 

CHAPTER  I  I. 
Why  Organize. — Historical. — Practical,  -        -        II 

CHAPTER  III. 
Mutual  Obligations. — Labor  and  Capital,  ...  17 

CHAPTER   IV. 
Dawning  of  Trouble  in  1862,        ------       21 

CHAPTER  V. 
Railroad  Men  Organize. — Engineers,  1863,        -  23 

CHAPTER  VI. 
Locomotive  Firemen  Organize,  1873,  ...        -        27 

CHAPTER  VII. 
Switchmen's  Mutual  Aid  Association,   1877,  -  29 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
Brotherhood  of  Brakemen,  1883, 31 

CHAPTER  IX. 
Reduced  Wages  and  Classification. — Complaints,  -        -      33 

CHAPTER  X. 
Burlington  Policy  Defined. — Competition. — Cuts,  38 

CHAPTER  XI. 
Strike  of  1877. — Confidence  in  Mr.  Harris,  46 

CHAPTER  XII. 
Increasing  Irregularities.— Mr.  Harris  Gone,     ...  50 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
Condition  of  Trainmen  Made  Worse. — Brotherhood  Weak,         54 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
Pursuing  a  Superintendent. — Opportunities  for  Oppression,  58 

CHAPTER  XV. 
The  Council  of  War. — Committee  of  1886,        -        -        -        -    67 


CHAPTER  XVI. 
Skirmishing  for  Position.— Messrs.  Potter  and  Arthur,  -        70 

CHAPTER   XVII. 
Treaty  of  1886.— Discussion.— New  Rules.— New  Hopes,  73 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
The  New  Treaty — A   Rope  of  Sand. — Rules  Violated,      -        -  82 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
Unfairness  of  Classification. — Screws  Tightened,        -        -        93 

CHAPTER  XX. 
Conservatism.— Arthur's  Address.— C.  M.  Depew.— Gov.  Abbott,   101 

CHAPTER  XXI. 
Meeting  of  Grievance  Committee. — Sketch  of  Manager  Potter,     107 

CHAPTER  XXII. 
Committee  at  Creston.— Engineers  at  Chicago,        -        -       113 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 
Concentration  of  Forces. — Dissatisfaction  of  the  Men,         -      122 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 
Committee  of  1888  and  its  Work, 126 

CHAPTER  XXV. 
Loyalty  and  Honor  of  Engineers. 135 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 
Joint  Committee  Seeking  an  Interview,  ...  142 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 
The  Circular  Letter  Answered, 147 

CHAPTER  XXVIII 
Thf.  End  of  Negotiations. — C,  B.  &  Q.  Shuts  the  Gate,  -     161 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 
The  Burlington  Strike,  ......         174 

CHAPTER  XXX. 
The  Strike  Along  the  Line. — Details,       -  -        -     185 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 
"Men  of  Experience  and  Trustworthy,"  ...  198 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 
Who  Came. — Rules  of  Service  Suspended,  ....      203 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 
Public  Opinion  Made  to  Order. — Newspapers,         -        -  215 

CHAPTER  XXXIV. 
Usages  of  Other  Roads. — As  to  Rates,  -        -        -        -     212 


CHAPTER   XXXV. 
The  Murder  of  George  Watts,        .....  232 

CHAPTER  XXXVI. 
The  Railway  Problem. — James  A.  Garfield's  Speech,     -        -       242 

CHAPTER  XXXVII. 
ANTAGONISM. — The  Old  Men  and  the  New,  ...  246 

CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 
Attitude  of    the  Knights  of  Labor,         ....        255 

CHAPTER  XXXIX. 
Negotiations  for  Harmony,  ......     261 

CHAPTER  XL. 
Feint,  for  Effect. — Deluged  with  Reading  Men,  -        -  268 

CHAPTER  XLI. 
Rule  or  Ruin. — Willfulness  Paid  for  in  Engines,      -        .  278 

CHAPTER  XLII. 
The  Strike,  in  Congress  and  in  Court,         -  296 

CHAPTER  XLIII. 
Burlington  &  Northern  Strike,  -  304 

CHAPTER  XLIV. 
The  Burlington  in  Court — The  A.  T.  and  S.  F.  Strike,  -    311 

CHAPTER  XLV. 
Another  Cloud  Rising. — Switchmen. — License  Law,  -        343 

CHAPTER  XLVI. 
Railway  and  Warehouse  Commissioners. — Evidence,      -        -     374 

CHAPTER  XLVII. 
Destruction  and  Discord.— Wrecks.— Protests,  -        -         3S5 

CHAPTER  XLVIII. 
The  Strike  Not  Off.— Murder  of  II.  B.  Newell.— Discussion       40S 

CHAPTER  XLIX. 
Dynamite. — Alarm. — Arrests. — Trials. — Results  -        -  435 

CHAPTER  L. 
The  End  of  the  Great  Strike, 452 

CHAPTER  LI. 
Sketch  by  C.  H.  Frisbie,  ....  463 


INDEX  TO  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


C.  H.  Salmons,             ...---  i 

P.  M.  Arthur,  Grand  Chief  B.  of  L.  E.,     -             -            -             -  7 

F.  P.  Sargent,  Grand  Master  15.  of  L.  F.,                      -             -  27 

James  L.  Monoghan,  Grand  Master  S.  M.  A.  A.,              -  41 

S  E.  Wilkinson,  Grand  Master  B.  of  R.  B.,                                -  57 

A.  R.  Cavner,  S.  G.  A.  E.,  B.  of  L.  E.,  Chairman  Committee  of  Nine,    73 

Geo.  Watts,             -------  8g 

Herbert  B.  Newell,        -             -----  105 

Collision — Milwaukee  crossing,       -             -            -             -             -  121 

An  Educational  Experiment,    -             -             -             -             -  x37 

Creston  Wreck,        -              ___---  153 

J.  A.    Bauereisen,          ------  169 

Thomas  Broderick,                             -  *85 

Geo.  Coding,                  ------  201 

J.  J.  Kelley, 217 

•Learning  the  Business,             -  225 

*Wreck  at  Western  Avenue,             -             -             »            -             -  241 

*Climbing  a  Telegraph  Bole,                  -            _            -             -  257 

*  Wreck  and  Fire  at  6th  &  Wood  Sts.,  Chicago,      -             -             -  273 

*Wreck  at  Meagher  St.  and  Stewart  Avenue,                 -            -  289 

*Wrerk  of  Fast  Mail  in  Chicago  Yard,        -             -             -             -  3™ 

*House  Breaking  at  DeKoven  St. ,  Chicago,                  -             -  321 

*The  House  at  DeKoven  St.,  after  the  Wreck,      -  337 

*Wreck  in  Chicago  Yards,         -----  353 

*Wreck  at  Wood  St.,  Chicago,  - 

*Into  a  Train  at  Wood  St.,  Chicago,  - 

•Fireman  (Joing  to  their  Convention  at  Atlanta,  Ga.,        -             -  4'9 

•Explosion  of  Engine  92,          -             -             -             -             -  449 

Chas    II.  Frisbie,  .... 

♦Reproductions  of  pencil  sketches  by  Priest,  Frisbie,  and  other  old  employs, 
who  were  prerent  to  view  the  wrecks. 


PREFACE. 

The  relations  between  capital  and  labor,  along  the 
Burlington  system  in  1888,  attracted  the  attention  of 
employers  and  employes  in  all  parts  of  the  world. 
The  causes  which  led  to  dissatisfaction  on  the  part  of 
the  laborers,  and  their  ineffectual  efforts  to  remedy  not- 
able evils,  ought  to  be  as  widely  known.  The  power 
which  a  great  company  has  to  coerce,  or  to  punish, 
has  hardly  been  known  in  this  country  until  the  great 
Burlington  strike  brought  it  out.  The  labor  organiza- 
tions have  a  right  to  know  what  kind  of  a  foe  a  rail- 
road company  may  become,  what  are  its  aggressions 
in  time  of  peace,  and  what  its  tactics  in  time  of  strife. 

It  is  not  likely  that  any  of  the  parties  who  are  con- 
spicuous in  the  contest  had  any  thought  that  they 
were  making  history.  None  of  the  actors  in  the  strug- 
gle between  capital  and  labor  had  any  thought  that 
they  were  speaking  into  a  phonograph,  which  some 
day  would  reproduce  their  words;  or  that  a  camera 
was  beside  them  which  would  some  day  restore  in  un- 
erring light  the  relationships  and  attitudes  of  moments 
of  blinding  passion. 

Strangely  enough,  records  were  preserved,  letters 
were  copied,  telegrams  were  stored  away,  and  man}' 
persons  have  vivid  recollections  of  the  events  just 
passed. 

The  world  has  seen  a  new  instance  of  the  selfishness 
and  relentlessness  of  capital;  and  legislators  have  come 
to  the  new  tasks  of  regulating  internal  commerce,  and 
protecting  labor.       Laboring  men  have  come  to  see 


how  varied  and  how  vital  are  their  relations  to 
the  prosperity  of  the  country.  They  understand 
now  better  than  ever  before  that  the  condition,  re- 
sources, and  aims  of  the  laborer  have  more  to  do  with 
the  progress  of  any  nation  than  the  achievements  of  its 
arms,  or  the  successes  of  its  diplomacy. 

An  increasing  number  of  people    desires  that    the 
history  of  the  greatest  labor  contest  of  all  time,  should 
be  put  in  permanent   form,  while    the    witnesses 
live.     Accordingly,  during  the  last  few  months,  a  few 
men  located  on  the  line  of  the  Burlington  system,  have 
undertaken  to  print  the  record  of  the  Burlington  strike. 
This  may  guide  other  corporations  into 
than  that  one  madly  chosen  by  the  Burling'. 
may  throw  a  light  upon  the  relationships  of 
er  that  will  make  him  a  wiser  and  more  po.  .tor 

in  defi  tinies  of  our  cor. 

The  men  who  ha  in  this   histr  ere 

in  this  contest.     The  associati  im- 

posed of  J.  C.  Porter,  Div.  32.,  President;  J.  W.  Wh      , 
z,  Tre;  .  Salmons,  Div.  79,  Sec.  and 

Div.  32;  Geo.  (  .;,  Self- 

He'  Ige  No.  80;  C.  H.  Fr  and  others. 

r  Ordc.  no 

i 

nts    are  tendered  to  P.  M.  G.  C.  E. 

B.  of  L.  E.;  to  F.  P.  £  ;,  Grand  Master  B.  of  L. 

F. •  James  L.  Mona;  Grand  Master  S.  M.  A.  A.; 

I.  Wilkinson,  G  :er  B.    of  R.  B.  F. 

Grand  Sec  L.  B.;  to  A.  R.  Cavner,  S.  G. 

A.  E.;  Geo.  W.  Wheatley,  B.  of  L.  E.;   and  to    other 

and  valued  correspondence  for  material  assistance. 

C.  H.  Salmons,  Compiler. 


P.    M.    ARTHUR. 

GRAND    CHIEF    ENGINEER    B.    OF    L      E. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

On  February  27th,  1888,  at  4  o'clock  A.  M.,  the 
locomotive  engine-men,  on  their  own  motion,  terminated 
their  connection  with  the  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy  Railroad  Company.  To  prevent  any  needless 
damage  to  property,  all  the  trains  in  transit  at  that 
hour  went  on  to  the  nearest  terminal  station,  but  as 
nearly  as  possible  to  the  stroke  of  the  clock,  the  two 
thousand  locomotive  engineers  and  firemen  quietly 
severed  themselves  from  the  Burlington  system.  It 
was  not  the  work  of  a  tumultuous  assembly.  The 
movement  was  well  considered  and  cordially  approved, 
and  notice  of  intention  was  duly  given  to  the  company. 
As  late  as  at  2  o'clock  on  the  preceding  day,  a  com- 
mittee had  waited  upon  the  authorities  of  the  company 
to  implore  any  concessions  consistent  with  their  obliga- 
tions to  stockholders  and  duties  to  employes,  that 
would  avert  the  impending  strike. 

The  importance  of  the  step  which  severed  the 
engineers  and  firemen  from  the  Burlington  system 
can  hardly  be  over-estimated.  That  great  road  ex- 
tends through  the  states  of  Illinois,  Missouri,  Iowa, 
Kansas,  Nebraska,  Colorado,  Wisconsin  and  Minne- 
sota. It  passes  through  more  than  fifteen  hundred 
cities,  towns  and  villages,  all  of  which  are  more  or  less 
dependent  upon  its  facilities  for  freight  and  travel.  In 
some  of  these  states  competing  and  intersecting  lines 


8  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

of  road  are  numerous,  so  that  the  calamity  of  a  block- 
ade would  not  be  everywhere  disastrous.  In  the 
various  states  traversed  there  are  hundreds  of  small 
stations  entirely  dependent  on  the  Burlington,  and 
situated  from  fifteen  to  fifty  miles  from  any  other  road. 
In  case  of  a  scarcity  of  coal  among  hundreds  of  prairie 
villages,  the  effect  of  a  suspension  of  railroad  traffic 
would  be  serious.  To  all  the  stations  along  a  railroad 
track  the  company  offers  the  convenience  of  trans- 
portation, and  agrees  to  take  in  return  the  favor  of 
patronage.  The  employes  cannot  be  a  party  to  this 
agreement,  but  the  company  is  bound  to  the  fairness 
and  the  foresight  which  will  always  prevent  a  suspen- 
sion of  its  work. 

The  methods  pursued  by  the  engineers  were  peace- 
able. With  a  delicate  sense  of  honor  they  regarded 
the  right  of  property  in  the  company  with  which  they 
could  no  longer  agree.  The  fifteen  hundred  engineers 
surrendered  their  engines  with  not  a  bolt,  or  screw, 
or  valve  out  of  order.  The  matters  of  complaint, 
with  the  unquestionable  facts  which  underlay  them, 
with  dates  and  names,  and  records,  were  .laid  before 
the  chief  officers  of  the  company  by  calm,  dispassionate 
men.  Timely  warning  of  the  day  and  hour  of  the 
strike,  with  the  causes  compelling  it,  were  fairly  and 
fully  given.  The  determination  reached  was  not  that 
of  a  tumultuous  assembly,  nor  of  an  inflammable  mob. 
The  principles  involved  had  been  under  public  dis- 
cussion for  years,  and  their  correctness  in  the  main  had 
been  conceded  by  various  of  the  great  Railroad  Com- 
panies. It  could  be  no  trifling  affair  that  thrilled  with 
a  single  impulse  the  men  of  the  footboard  along  the  six 


THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE.  Q 

thousand  miles  of  the  Burlington  lines.  It  is  difficult 
for  any  one  to  estimate  how  much  it  meant  when  so 
many  intelligent  and  practical  men  left  their  places, 
unfitted  for  any  other  skilled  labor,  and  with  the  proba- 
bility that  similar  doors  of  employment  would  be  closed 
to  them  upon  other  roads. 

Who  is  the  Locomotive  Engineer  ? 

He  is  a  man  of  bone  and  brawn,  equal  to  the  hard- 
est work.  He  inherits  from  a  robust  ancestry  great 
bodilv  vigor,  as  well  as  clearness  and  accuracy  of  eye 
and  ear.  He  reaches  a  locomotive  only  after  prepara- 
tory years  of  untiring  study  and  toil.  In  his  probation 
he  acquires  a  quickness  to  detect  danger  and  a  prompt- 
ness to  avert  it.  He  cannot  be  an  engineer  unless  he 
can  command  his  tired  nerves  to  work  on  in  the  face 
of  rain  and  storm,  or  in  defiance  of  sleet  and  cold. 
Higher  than  commanding  the  obedience  of  muscles 
and  nerves,  he  must  know  the  anatomy  of  his  engine, 
and  the  remedy  for  all  its  maladies.  On  his  soul  is 
the  responsibility  for  the  safety  of  the  precious  freight 
of  hundreds  of  passengers,  and  of  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands of  dollars.  No  other  calling  of  civil  life  records 
such  bravery  in  the  face  of  peril,  or  such  noble  sacri- 
fice of  self  to  save  others.  The  locomotive  engineer's 
craft  is  the  drum  over  which  every  band  of  the  coun- 
try's business  gains  its  speed ;  it  is  the  master-wheel  of 
the  world's  progress. 

We  lie  down  in  our  sleeper  and  rest  as  we  do  at 
home.  And  yet  we  know  that  all  through  the  night 
the  train  will  dash  on  at  the  rate  of  forty  miles  an 
hour,  past  beacon-lights,  switches,  side-tracks  and 
bridges.  Stockholders  at  home  and  passengers  on 
2 


IO  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

board  sleep  the  night  through  without  a  fear.     It  is 
because  they  believe  in  the  engineer. 

The  curtain  has  been  drawn  for  a  moment  to  let  the 
light  fall  on  the  kind  of  men  who  joined  issue  with  the 
Burlington  Company.  Thev  were  unanimous.  As 
when  Israel  left  Egypt,  not  a  hoof  was  left  behind. 
There  was  a  principle  involved,  for  which  they  risked 
employment  and  support.  It  must  have  been  to  them 
a  matter  of  no  small  moment  that  could  move  thought- 
ful men  to  grapple  with  one  of  the  most  powerful 
companies  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  We  shall  pro- 
ceed in  these  subsequent  chapters  to  take  up  events  in 
their  order  of  time,  and  carefully  and  honestly  look 
the  facts  in  the  face  which  occasioned,  and  which 
characterized,  the  great  Burlington  strike  of  1888.  It 
\\  as  the  most  momentous  movement  of  the  kind  that 
has  ever  gone  upon  the  page  of  history. 


CHAPTER  II. 

WHY    DO  LABORING  MEN  ORGANIZE  ? 

If  any  one  can  tell  when  it  was  that  man  first  dis- 
covered that  in  union  there  is  power,  it  will  fix  the  date 
when  men  first  combined  to  secure  to  themselves 
prosperity  and  justice.  Mechanical  fraternities  flour- 
ished among  the  Romans,  in  which  affairs  of  com- 
mon interest  were  regulated  by  their  own  laws. 
In  the  eleventh  century,  in  many  cities  of  Italy,  the 
people  united  against  the  rapacity  of  the  lords,  and  ex- 
changed lordly  rule  for  the  right  to  labor  and  to  trade 
as  they  deemed  best.  Merchants'  combinations  were 
common  in  all  the  flourishing  cities  of  Europe  in  the 
twelfth  century.  In  the  same  century  the  drapers  of 
Hamburg,  the  shoemakers  of  Magdeburg,  and  various 
tradesmen  of  Milan  formed  unions,  or  brotherhoods, 
that  have  been  closely  imitated  by  various  craftsmen 
in  modern  times.  Guilds,  as  such  organizations  were 
called  among  the  Saxons,  were  not  necessarily  trade 
associations,  though  they  protected  their  members  from 
injustice,  secured  their  recognition  and  provided  for 
their  employment.  In  general  they  resisted  arbitrary 
power  as  affecting  the  interests  of  their  adherents. 
In  England  the  guilds  for  centuries  held  their 
rights  under  royal  charter,  and  in  that  century  very 
many  of  the  ordinary  occupations  were  organized  for 
mutual  benefit.  A  great  many  of  our  associations  of 
modern  times  can  be  traced  to  the  Saxon  tendency   to 


12  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

organize  bodies  of  men  of  similar  pursuits.  This  is 
the  origin  of  our  corporations  of  every  kind,  as  banks, 
insurance,  and  transportation  companies.  Our  rail- 
road corporations,  Boards  of  Trade,  Associated  Press, 
Knights  of  Labor,  and  many  others,  chartered  and 
unchartered,  all  come  from  the  same  parent  stock,  and 
all  bear  the  same  family  likeness,  the  main  feature  of 
which  is  combining  for  mutual  protection  and  profit. 

Movements  in  connection  with  labor  have  assumed 
in  recent  times  a  new  importance.  Once  they  limited 
themselves  simply  to  self-protection  as  to  employment 
and  wages.  Now  they  study  social  relations  and  the 
reciprocal  obligations  of  capital  and  labor.  The  lead- 
ing minds  of  the  labor  movement  are  by  necessity 
students  of  political  economy  and  of  social  science; 
and  in  their  discussions  and  projects  every  calling  ob- 
tains a  hearing,  and  finds  promotion.  The  equitable 
reward  of  honorable  labor  is  the  great  social  prol 
of  our  times.  It  is  a  reasonable  prediction  that  from 
the  ranks  of  organized  labor  shall  come  the  strong 
writers,  thinkers  and  statesmen  of  the  future. 

But  why  do  the  employes  of  railroads   organize  ? 

Let  us  enumerate  some  of  the  reasons: 

i.  It  is  the  unquestioned  usage  of  legislatures  and 
of  congress  to  grant  to  railroad  corporations  almost 
unlimited  franchises,  and  in  perpetuity,  without  any 
personal  responsibility.  On  the  other  hand,  no  enact- 
ment of  any  importance  is  on  any  statute  book  to  pro- 
tect railroad  men,  whose  work  upon  trains  imperils 
their  lives  with  almost  every  dutv  the}'  perform.  It 
is  not  unreasonable  that  trainmen  should  be  disaffected 
wherever  they  are  paid  less  than  men  are  usually  paid 


WHY  DO  LABORING  MEN  ORGANIZE  ?  1 3 

for  similar  work  on  other  roads,  and  wherever  they  are 
held  to  a  company  by  an  arrangement  that  compels 
them  to  stay  where  they  are,  or  else  be  prevented  from 
railroad  work  anywhere  else 

2.  It  is  to  be  remembered  also,  that  the  life  of  a 
railroad  is  a  perpetuity;  that  with  time  its  expenses 
will  lessen  and  its  business  will  increase.  In  view  of 
future  incomes  men  will  take  present  risks.  Capital 
can  always  do  this,  but  labor  cannot.  Labor  repre- 
sents women  and  children;  it  implies  food,  clothing, 
shelter  and  education;  the  day's  work  if  well  done 
should  meet  these  demands  at  par.  The  two  millions, 
or  more,  now  nearly  three  millions,  of  persons  in 
the  families  of  railway  employes  have  the  first  lien  on 
the  products  of  their  work.  When,  therefore,  the 
railway  laborer  demands  reasonable  pay,  he  has  be- 
hind him  a  regiment  of  arguments  to  enforce  his  right. 
The  most  of  the  work  to  be  done  is  so  difficult  as  to 
require  experienced,  or  skilled  labor;  it  is  largely  of  a 
kind  to  impair  health  and  to  shorten  life,  and  it  ex- 
poses the  laborer  to  great  irregularities  of  work,  and 
to  a  frightful  percentage  of  fatal  accidents.  When 
losses  occur  to  a  company  from  mismanagement  they 
should  not  be  made  up  by  abatement  of  the  wages  of 
laborers.  If  the  business  of  a  year  proves  dull,  the 
stockholder's  dividends  should  not  be  kept  up  by  cut- 
ting down  the  wages  of  the  men.  One  man  alone 
counts  nothing  before  a  powerful  company;  one  day's 
work  bears  a  poor  proportion  to  the  thousands  of  mil- 
lions of  capital  invested  in  railroads.  Unless  labor 
combines  it  cannot  be  heard  at  all.  It  has  no  resort, 
no   appeal  for  justice  if   it  cannot  organize  a   moral 


14  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

force  that  will    stand    between    the    laborer    and    the 
relentless  power  of  gold. 

3.  The  conditions  of  the  trainman's  life  are  hard. 
If  he  develops  into  a  man  of  business,  or  if  he  becomes 
manager  of  great  enterprises,  it  is  in  defiance  of  his 
surroundings.  He  usually  enters  in  early  life  upon 
his  occupation  in  which  there  is  a  premium  on  strength, 
alertness  and  endurance,  and  in  which  there  is  much 
of  both  physical  weariness  and  mental  dissipation.  He 
is  commonly  exposed  to  allurements  that  tend  down- 
wards. Along  the  line  there  are  drinking  places;  if 
not  in  the  station  itself,  then  within  a  door  or  two.  It 
is  a  rare  thing  that  he  finds  a  reading  room  for  railway 
men,  or  a  resting  place  away  from  tempting  odors 
and  sights  and  companions.  It  does  not  seem  to  be 
recognized  at  headquarters  that  what  makes  a  better 
man  makes  a  better  workman.  If  there  are  anywhere 
in  depots,  reading  rooms,  and  places  of  quiet  rest  for 
the  much  jolted  men,  it  is  very  recent,  and  exceeding- 
ly rare,  and  even  where  there  is  considerable  work  of 
this  kind  it  is  rarely  traceable  to  a  railroad  company. 
But  almost  all  roads  in  this  country  have,  in  a  verv 
effective  way,  testified  to  the  capability  and  the  charac- 
ter of  the  railroad  employe.  Almost  everywhere 
men  are  filling  the  highest  positions  in  railroad  manage- 
ment who  have  come  up  from  the  lowest  round.  This 
:s  very  noticeable  in  the  Pennsylvania  system.  Presi- 
-  t  Roberts,  and  A.  J.  Cassatt,  formerly  vice-presi- 
dent, began  as  rodmen  in  the  engineers'  corps.  Sec- 
ond •  vice-president  Thompson  was  a  machinist  of 
Altoona;  general  manager  Pugh  began  as  a  brake- 
man;  general  passenger  agent  Carpenter,  and  James 


WHY   DO  LAbuRING  MEN  ORGANIZE?  15 

McCrea,  general  manager  west  of  Pittsburg,  both 
began  as  messenger  boys.  A.  M.  Tucker,  division 
superintendent  on  the  Erie,  was  a  track  laborer.  C. 
W.  Bradley,  general  superintendent  of  the  West  Shore, 
was  a  brakeman,  then  conductor,  on  the  same  road. 
President  Caldwell  of  the  Nickel  Plate  was  a  clerk  on 
the  Pennsylvania.  The  engineers  and  firemen  have 
been  very  prolific  in  this  direction.  One  Division,  No. 
34,  of  Columbus,  Ohio,  has  on  its  roll  of  honor  two 
railroad  presidents,  three  master  mechanics,  and  four 
roundhouse  foremen.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that 
everywhere  similar  talent  abounds  among  men  in 
subordinate  positions  along  all  our  great  railway  lines. 
That  so  many  reach  distinction  in  spite  of  great  disad- 
vantage is  an  inspiring  argument  in  favor  of  organization 
for  mutual  improvement  and  protection.  It  encourages 
honest  emulation  and  true  pride.  Its  result  must  be 
to  make  the  men  sober,  industrious,  frugal,  faithful, 
and  self-helpful. 

4.  The  capital  invested  in  banks  and  that  employed 
in  insurance  companies,  though  in  large  amounts,  is 
vet  comparatively  harmless  as  regards  labor. 
But  when  capital  is  pitted  against  labor;  when  the 
issue  is  Money  vs.  Men ;  when  the  returns  upon  the 
invested  capital  are  in  proportion  to  the  pressure  upon 
the  laborer,  then  as  capital  is  heartless,  the  rights  of 
the  man  must  go  under.  The  greatest  danger  is 
reached  when  capital  succeeds  in  holding  the  laborer 
in  one  hand,  and  grasping  legislation  with  the  other. 
The  money  invested  in  railroad  stocks,  with  the  addi- 
tion of  the  amount  of  all  the  funded  debts  of  the  rail- 
way companies  in   this   country,    will   soon   reach   the 


1 6  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

» 

enormous  amount  of  ten  thousand  millions  of  dollars, 
($10,000,000,000.)  A  very  small  percentage  on  this 
sum  will  support  a  lobby,  the  third  house,  in  every 
state  capital,  as  well  as  at  Washington.  An  assess- 
ment of  one-fourth  of  one  cent  on  each  dollar  of  this 
vast  sum  would  produce  a  revenue  of  twenty-five  mil- 
lions. At  present  rates  of  increase  we  shall  soon 
have  in  this  country  one  million  of  railway  laborers. 
A  reduction  of  five  cents  per  day  upon  that  number  of 
men  would  produce  the  sum  of  eighteen  millions  of 
dollars,  ($18,250,000.)  We  do  not  say  that  anyone 
has  proposed  this,  but  we  do  say  that  similar  things 
have  been  done.  Wages  have  been  cut  down  to  re- 
plenish a  foolishly  exhausted  treasury.  How  easy  a 
thing  it  would  be  for  capital  to  declare  war  on  labor  and 
then  assess  upon  labor  the  expense  of  it.  How  easy 
to  keep  up  dividends  to  stockholders  by  cutting  down 
wages;  or  to  cover  the  ruinous  expense  of  an  unwise 
policy  in  the  management  by  issuing  a  lower  rate  of 
payments. 

Capital,  controlling  lobbies  and  newspapers,  con- 
stitutes a  trio  for  evil,  before  which,  if  it  is  left  un- 
checked, the  rights  of  the  American  laborer  will  be  of 
as  little  value  to  him  as  to  the  toilers  of  Russia,  or  of 
Algiers.  In  Europe,  when  contests  are  on  between 
money  and  labor,  the  appeal  is  to  the  bayonet;  but  in 
this  country  the  appeal  is  to  argument,  to  righteous- 
ness, and  to  the  ballot.  Our  method  of  protection  is 
not  by  violence,  but  by  the  peaceable  combination  of 
the  endangered  men,  so  as  to  make  themselves  felt  by 
their  moral  force,  their  intelligence,  and  by  their  num- 
bers. 


CHAPTER  III. 

MUTUAL    OBLIGATIONS. 

We  believe  that  there  are  certain  great  principles  in 
equity  in  which  both  capital  and  labor  ought  heartily 
to  agree,  and  beyond  which  the  demands  of  either 
would  be  both  unreasonable  and  unrighteous.  There 
is  really  but  one  universal  and  unerring  rule,  viz  :  As 
ye  would  that  men  should  do  to  you,  do  3^  also  to 
them. 

Most  men,  given  to  one  kind  of  work,  become  skilled 
in  it,  and  unfit  themselves  for  other  employments,  but  at 
the  same  time  increase  the  value  of  their  labor  to  their 
employer.  To  be  discharged  implies  the  loss  of  the  time 
used  in  acquiring  the  skiD,  and  also  the  waste  of  time 
and  money  in  seeking  a  new  place.  It  may  require  a 
removal  of  hundreds  of  miles  at  great  expense.  If 
permanent  employment  is  uncertain,  it  will  prevent  the 
laborer  from  embellishing,  or  even  from  making  a  home, 
and  it  tends  to  make  of  him  an  improvident,  hand-to- 
mouth  hanger-on  upon  a  temporary  occupation,  and 
the  education  of  his  children  becomes  a  most  unlikely 
thing.  He  cannot  identify  himself  with  permanent  in- 
terests of  the  community,  and  he  sinks  into  a  character- 
less wage-earner.  It  would  not  be  strange  if  some  times 
the  fear  of  removal  would  lead  men  to  try  to  keep  their 
places  by  unbecoming  and  wrongful  methods,  or  they 
may  do  a  poor  service  knowing  they  are  liable  to  dis- 
missal for  any  cause,  or  for  none. 


l8  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

Now,  a  corporation  might  arbitrarily  reduce  the 
wages,  or  compulsorily  increase  the  hours  of  labor,  or 
frequently  require  additional  hours  of  work  for  the  pay 
of  ten,  or  compel  the  employe  to  assume  the  risk  of 
damage  to  property,  or  say  to  the  men  unfairly 
burdened,  ;'  If  you  do  not  like  our  administration,  go 
elsewhere;  you  are  at  liberty."  All  these  methods 
have,  here  or  there,  been  resorted  to.  It  is  obvious 
that  they  deteriorate  the  character  of  the  laborer,  so 
as  not  only  to  lessen  the  value  of  the  labor,  but  also 
to  abate  the  worth  of  the  man  as  a  member  of  the  com- 
munity. Certainly  no  corporation  has  a  moral  right  to 
do  this,  for  it  unfits  the  employe  for  honorable  and 
skilled  work. 

Self-interest  alone  would  require  of  a  corporation 
the  strictest  integrity  and  fairness,  and  considerate  pro- 
vision for  the  adequate  support  of  every  deserving 
laborer.  Moral  obligation  would  require  that  wages 
should  be  adequate  for  a  little  more  than  actual  cur- 
rent support,  for  the  rainy  day  should  not  be  a  desti- 
tute one,  and  comforts  ought  to  increase  in  every  vir- 
tuous family  with  advancing  age.  The  pay  for  a  day's 
work  should  be  the  unstinted  remuneration  for  an 
average  man,  and  less  or  greater  work  done  than  the 
average  should  have  higher  or  lower  rates.  We  can 
neither  buy  nor  sell  the  moral  sense  that  makes  the 
workman  industrious,  and  studious  to  do  his  work  rap- 
idly and  well,  and  to  prevent  loss  of  material  ;  but  that 
moral  sense  has  a  real  value  nevertheless,  and  the  man 
who  has  this  quality  really  earns  more  money  than  the 
man  of  the  same  strength  who  has  it  not.  It  is  not 
enough  for  the  corporation  to  pay  only  the  rate  of  wa- 


MUTUAL    OBLIGATIONS.  1 9 

ges  that  it  can  afford  with  its  present  rate  of  dividends, 
for  that  would  require  labor  to  guarantee  both  the  hon- 
esty and  the  intelligence  of  capital.  If  wisdom  and  hon- 
esty are  in  the  foundation  of  an  enterprise,  its  dividends 
may  be  delayed  for  years,  and  then  make  ample  com- 
pensation; but  food  and  clothing,  and  comforts,  cannot 
wait.  The  conclusion  is  inevitable  that  every  corpora- 
tion employing  labor  is  bound  by  the  highest  law 
known  to  man,  to  make  contented  and  comfortable, 
every  worthy  employe  it  has,  and  to  do  this  before  it 
retires  to  count  its  profits. 

One  fact  is  better  than  many  theories.  The  Chi- 
cago Inter-Ocean  of  June  20,  1889,  says: 

"  One  thing  has  been  demonstrated  by  General  Mc- 
Nulty,  while  receiver  of  the  Wabash,  that  the  best 
managers  are  not  always  trained  railroad  men.  Gen- 
eral McNulty  dropped  his  law  practice  to  accept  the 
appointment  of  receiver  of  a  small  railroad  in  southern 
Illinois,  which  was  bankrupt.  He  built  this  road  up, 
and  turned  it  back  to  the  stock  holders  as  a  paying- 
piece  of  property.  When  Judge  Gresham  appointed 
General  McNulty  receiver  of  the  Wabash  road,  the 
property  wras  in  a  deplorable  condition,  and  he  has 
succeeded  in  placing  it  in  a  better  condition  than  ever 
before,  and  he  has  himself  come  to  be  acknowledged 
as  one  of  the  best  railroad  managers  of  the  country,  so 
that  he  has  received  nattering  offers  from  roads  that 
are  anxious  to  secure  his  services." 

The  pay  of  the  labor  of  this  road,  while  this  able 
financier  was  building  it  up,  was  among  the  best  that 
was  paid  in  the  United  States.  General  McNulty 
evidently    has   both    ability   and  honesty,  and  he  has 


20  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

proven  that  good  wages  can  be  paid  and  the  road 
still  succeed;  and  that  it  is  not  the  cost  of  labor,  but  bad 
management  that  causes  the  bankrupt  condition  of 
railroad  property. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

THE    DAWNING    OF    TROUBLE. 

In  1862  the  engineers  running  between  Aurora, 
thirty-seven  miles  west  of  Chicago,  and  Galesburg, 
one  hundred  and  twenty-five  miles  farther  west,  were 
paid  less  than  other  engineers  were  paid  for  the  same 
service  on  other  parts  of  the  C,  B.  &  Q.  road.  They 
believed  that  the  injustice  was  directly  chargeable  to  the 
division  superintendent,  Mr.  Hammond,  and  accord- 
ingly they  demanded  of  him  its  correction.  They  ap- 
pointed a  committee  to  wait  upon  Mr.  Hammond,  to 
ask  an  advance  of  fifty  cents  per  day  or  trip,  and  pay 
for  extra  time.  Mr.  Hammond  would  not  grant  it,  and 
the  committee  returned  and  so  reported.  They  then 
agreed  to  insist  on  their  demand  and  to  give  the  super- 
intendent ten  days'  notice,  at  the  end  of  which  time  they 
would  stop  work  if  the  matter  was  not  adjusted. 
This  notice  was  given.  On  the  day  when  the  time 
would  expire,  a  despatch  came  from  Mr.  Hammond 
asking  the  men  to  keep  at  work  and  he  would  see 
that  they  were  satisfied.  The  men  were  not  disposed 
to  make  a  contract  in  so  loose  a  way  as  that  and  de- 
clined. When  this  news  reached  Mr.  Hammond  by 
telegram,  he  called  up  a  special  train  to  take  himself 
and  party  to  Aurora,  the  seat  of  the  difficulty,  and  on 
his  arrival  it  was  found  that  he  had  with  him  eighteen 
engineers  to  take  the  places  of  these  men.  But  it  was 
intensely  cold,  and  the  scabs  he  brought  out  would  not, 


22  THE    BURLINGTON'    STRIKE. 

or  could  not  take  the  engines,  and  superintendent 
Hammond  acceded  to  the  demand.  Work  was  sus- 
pended only  one  hour. 

It  is  fair  to  the  Company  to  state  that  when  a  sup- 
erintendent, or  other  high  administrative  officer,  cor- 
rects an  abuse  in  the  administration  without  consulting 
his  superiors,  it  is  evident  that  he  is  the  originator  of 
the  annoying  order  himself.  ^The  unanimity  of  the  en- 
gineers in  this  matter,  and  the  prompt  adjustment  of  it 
by  the  superintendent,  indicate  the  justness  of  the 
complaint. 


RAILROAD  LABORERS  ORGANIZE. 


CHAPTER  V. 

BROTHERHOOD  OF  LOCOMOTIVE  ENGINEERS. 

On  the  17th  of  April,  1863,  at  Marshall,  Michigan, 
Messrs.  E.  Nichols,  F.  Avery,  D.  Wheeler,  John  Ken- 
ned}-, F.  Wartsmouth,  H.  Higgins,  B.  Northrup,  Geo. 
Q.  Adams,  and  W.  D.  Robinson,  believing  that 
many  evils  might  be  remedied,  and  much  good  accom- 
plished, by  an  organization  of  practical  locomotive  en- 
gineers, met  and  instituted  a  society  named  the  Broth- 
erhood of  the  Foot  Board.  The  17th  and  the  18th  of 
the  following  August  was  agreed  upon  by  them  as  the 
time  for  holding  the  first  annual  convention  at  Detroit, 
Michigan,  at  which  convention  W.  D.  Robinson,  of  De- 
troit, was  duly  elected  to  fill,  for  the  first  time  in  its  ex- 
istence, the  very  important  office  of  Grand  Chief  Engi- 
neer, and  O.  T.  Johnson,  of  LaFayette,  Indiana,  was 
chosen  first  Grand  Assistant  Engineer.  By  a  provis- 
ion of  the  original  constitution,  locomotive  firemen  and 
machinists  were  admitted  to  equal  membership.  A 
short  deliberation,  and  experience,  convinced  the  in- 
corporators that  engineers  should  act  separately  in  the 
matter  of  self  protection.  Hence  it  became  necessary 
to  call  a  special  session  of  the  convention,  which  as- 
sembled on  the  22nd  of  February,  1864,  at  Detroit,  at 
which  time   and   place   this   objectionable   clause    was 


24  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

changed  and  the  locomotive  engineers  were  possessed 
of  an  organization  exclusively  their  own. 

At  the  second  annual  convention,  which  was  held  at 
Indianapolis,  Indiana,  on  August  17th,  1864,  Charles 
Wilson,  of  Rochester,  New  York,  and  Robert  Laugh-- 
lin,  of  Hornellsville,  New  York,  were  chosen  to  fill  the 
two  highest  offices  of  the  organization,  and  the  title 
originally  chosen  was  substituted  by  the  title  which  is 
still  borne  by  the  order,  viz  :  The  Brotherhood  of 
Locomotive  Engineers. 

That  a  good  thing  was  done  in  the  organization  of 
the  order  is  evident  from  its  rapid  growth.  This  con- 
vention at  Indianapolis  was  held  at  the  end  of  its  first 
vear,  when  sixty-seven  of  its  subordinate  divisions  had 
been  established,  with  a  membership  of  over  sixteen 
hundred.  To-day  the  order  extends  through  every 
part  of  the  United  states,  and  has  a  footing  also  in 
Canada  and  Mexico.  The  number  of  divisions 
has  reached  four  hundred  and  twenty,  and  the  member- 
ship exceeds  twenty-five  thousand. 

There  is  a  Mutual  Insurance  Association  connected 
with  the  Order  and  an  outgrowth  of  it,  originating 
1867.  The  business  and  the  reports  cover  now  a  period 
of  twenty-one  years  of  the  work  of  insurance  with 
the  most  satisfactory  results.  There  were  paid  out, 
during  the  year  previous  to  November,  1888,  one  hun- 
dred claims  of  three  thousand  dollars  each,  making  a 
total  of  three  hundred  and  twenty-seven  thousand 
dollars,  (  $327,000.  )  The  entire  amount  paid  to  wid- 
ows, orphans  and  to  disabled  members,  since  1867.  is 
$2,572,169.61. 

During  the  vear  ending  with    November,    18S8,  the 


BROTHERHOOD  OF  LOCOMOTIVE  ENGINEERS.  25 

Chief  Engineer  was  called  to  interpose  and  to  adjust  be- 
tween men  and  officers  on  twelve  different  roads,  and 
in  each  instance  he  effected  an  honorable  and  amicable 
adjustment.  The  contest  between  the  men  and  the 
officers  of  the  Burlington  System  was  the  only  one 
that  has  occurred  in  eleven  years  that  has  not  yielded 
to  satisfactory  adjustment  by  friendly  interposition. 
The  history  of  the  Order  is  made  up  of  happy  results 
upon  individual  character,  inspiring  men  with  emula- 
tion, and  virtuous  pride  in  their  calling.  By  its  refin- 
ing and  elevating  influence  upon  the  character  of  its 
members  it  adds  to  the  efficiency  and  to  the  actual 
wealth  of  every  company  whose  engines  are  run  by 
members  of  the  Brotherhood. 

In  the  constitution  of  subordinate  lodges  of  this 
Brotherhood,  in  article  V,  section  II,  we  have  these 
words : 

"  Should  it  come  to  the  knowledge  of  any  member 
*  *  *  that  a  brother  *  *  *  is  guilty  of  drunkenness, 
or  keeping  a  saloon  where  intoxicating  liquors  are 
sold,  or  being  engaged  in  the  traffic  of  intoxicating 
liquors  *  *  it  shall  be  his  duty  to  bring  the  matter 
before  the  Chief  Engineer  of  his  division,  in  writing  at 
once,  who  shall  immediately  appoint  a  committee  of 
three  to  investigate  the  charges." 

Section  IV.  (After  the  testimony  is  all  offered.)  "The 
Chief  Engineer  shall  order  the  ballot  passed,  and  it  shall 
require  a  majority  vote  of  all  of  the  members  present 
to  expel  him,  excepting  those  convicted  of  keeping  a 
saloon  where  intoxicating  liquors  are  sold;  in  which 
case  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Chief  to  declare  the 
offending  brother  duly  expelled  without  a  ballot." 
3 


l6  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

Section  V.  Should  any  brother  neglect  his  duty, 
or  injure  the  property  of  his  employer,  or  endanger 
the  lives  of  persons  willfully,  while  under  the  influence 
of  liquor  or  otherwise,  it  shall  be  included  in  the  in- 
vestigation as  laid  down  above,  and  be  subject  to  the 
same  penalty." 


F.    P.    SARGENT. 

GRAND    MASTER,    B.    OF    L.    FIREMEN. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

BROTHERHOOD  OF  LOCOMOTIVE  FIREMEN. 

The  locomotive  firemen  effected  an  organization,  a 
Brotherhood,  for  mutual  benefit,  on  December  i, 
1873,  at  Port  Jervis,  New  York.  Eleven  men  met  to 
devise  means  of  mutual  helpfulness,  social,  moral  and 
intellectual,  to  protect  the  interests  of  firemen  and  to 
promote  their  general  welfare.  It  has,  in  these  six- 
teen years,  permeated  every  part  of  the  United  States, 
extending  also  into  Mexico  and  Canada.  The  Order 
receives  reports  from  three  hundred  and  ninety  lodges, 
aggregating  over  nineteen  thousand  members.  Its 
object  at  first  was  not  beyond  the  mutual  advantages 
that  come  from  close  affiliation  of  men  of  similar  pur- 
suits; but  in  1885  the  Order  extended  its  purposes  and 
became  distinctly  a  labor  organization  without  losing 
its  benevolent  characteristics.  The  method  of  adjust- 
ing differences  between  the  Order  and  the  authorities 
of  a  road,  is  to  appeal  directly  to  the  highest  authority 
of  the  company  complained  of,  and  if  that  is  not  suc- 
cessful, then  to  insist  upon  arbitration.  The  organiza- 
tion tends  to  good  order,  to  mutual  beneficial  influ- 
ences, and  it  is  a  concentration  of  power  which  may, 
at  almost  any  time,  be  called  upon  for  mutual  pro- 
tection, or  in  some  way  in  the  defense  of  the  interests 
of  labor.  There  is  no  antagonism  between  the  fire- 
men and  any  other  society  of  railway  laborers;  on  the 
contrary,  the  Order  works  for  the   advantage    of  the 


28  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

laborer   in   the  interests    of   fair  work    for    fair   pay. 

In  the  constitution  of  the  Firemen's  Brotherhood 
for  subordinate  lodges,  there  are  some  provisions  of 
general  interest: 

Section  188.  "  Any  member  dealing  in  intoxicating 
liquors  shall  be  expelled." 

Section  190.  "Any  member  who  shall  use  intoxi- 
cating liquors  to  excess,  or  shall  be  found  guilty  of 
drunkenness,  or  other  immoral  practice,  or  conduct  un- 
becoming a  member,  shall  be  suspended  for  the  first 
offense,  if  of  a  light  character;  but  if  of  a  serious  na- 
ture, or  for  a  second  offense,  the  offender  shall  be  ex- 
pelled." 


CHAPTER  VII. 
switchmen's  mutual  aid  association. 

The  switchmen  at  Chicago  organized  a  Union,  for 
mutual  aid,  intended  for  only  local  purposes,  on  Au- 
gust 1 8,  1877.  The  society  had  but  little  progress 
until  1884,  wnen  it  took  in  new  blood,  and  various  cit- 
ies began  to  organize  similar  societies.  A  meeting  of 
delegates,  for  the  object  of  forming  a  national  organi- 
zation, was  held  at  Chicago,  February  22,  1886.  The 
convention  deliberated  eight  days  over  a  constitution, 
which  was  adopted  at  last  with  enthusiastic  unanimity. 
The  object  of  the  Mutual  Aid  Society,  as  declared  in 
the  preamble  to  the  Constitution,  is  as  follows : 

1st.  To  unite  and  promote  the  general  welfare,  and 
advance  the  interests — social,  moral,  and  intellectual — 
of  its  members. 

2nd.  To  endeavor  to  establish  mutual  confidence, 
and  create  and  maintain  harmonious  relations  between 
employer  and  employe. 

The  forms  of  benevolence  undertaken  were,  "  to  re- 
lieve the  distress  of  disabled  brothers,  to  care  for 
their  widows  and  orphans,  and  to  see  to  the  decent 
burial  of  deceased  members." 

The  first  annual  meeting  was  held  in  Kansas  Citv, 
Monday,  September  20,  1886,  having  delegates  from 
twrenty-five  lodges. 

The  first  Grand  Master  was  James  L.  Monaghan, 
whose  ill-health  had  driven  him  from  the  law  business 


30  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

to  the  outdoor  work  of  the  switchman.  He  became 
a  member  of  the  Illinois  legislature  in  1888.  From 
that  time  on,  the  Society  has  been  fortunate  in  having 
for  officers,  good  and  efficient  men.  In  1888,  Mr. 
George  S.  Bailey  was  made  Grand  Organizer  and  In- 
structor, who  also  left  the  law  for  outdoor  railroading 
work.  In  1886  he  became  a  member  of  the  lower 
house  of  the  Illinois  legislature,  and  carried  through 
a  bill  for  a  State  Board  of  Arbitration,  but  not  in 
time  to  have  the  action  of  the  Senate.  The  Order  is 
a  vigorous  one,  watching  carefully  the  interests  of 
labor. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

BROTHERHOOD  OF  RAILROAD  BRAKEMEN. 

The  epidemic  of  organization  struck  the  railroad 
brakemen  in  the  spring  of  1883.  A  few  railroad  men 
of  all  occupations,  chiefly  brakemen  and  switchmen, 
formed,  at  Albany,  N.  Y.,  a  society  called  the  Capitol 
City  Aid  Association.  The  object  was  protection  by  mu- 
tual benevolence.  In  June  following,  eight  brakemen 
met  in  a  caboose  at  Oneonta,  N.  Y.,  and  organized  the 
first  auxiliary  branch,  called  No.  2.  This  enterprising 
offspring  withdrew  from  Capitol  City  and  set  itself  up 
as  Oneonta  Lodge  of  the  Brotherhood  of  Railroad 
Brakemen.  This  occurred  in  July,  1883.  Its  mem- 
bers were  all  brakemen.  The  Order  was  greatly  in- 
debted to  Eugene  V.  Debs,  a  good  man,  who  was  emi- 
nent among  the  Brotherhood  of  Firemen.  The  Capi- 
tol City  Aid  Association,  rinding  itself  no  longer  fol- 
lowed, turned  about  and  followed  the  new  head  and 
became  Capitol  City  Lodge,  No.  3. 

The  organization  by  the  adoption  of  a  constitution, 
bears  date,  Oneonta,  N.  Y.,  Sept.  12,  1883.  The  Or- 
der spread  along  the  lines  of  iron  net  work  with  great 
rapidity,  and  it  numbers  now  over  ten  thousand  mem- 
bers. It  rilled  a  well  defined  want  among  trainmen. 
Their  position  is  not  too  well  paid,  and  it  is  full  of 
hardship,  privation  and  peril.  The  calling  is  so  full  of 
danger  that  insurance  men  exclude  brakemen  from 
eligibility    to   insurance.      The    constitutional   limit   of 


32  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

policy  of  insurance  is  $1,000  per  member,  and  the 
treasury  is  a  mutual  one,  and  it  is  refreshed  by  moder- 
ate assessments. 

The  influence  of  the  Brotherhood  is  very  marked 
upon  the  mental,  moral  and  physical  improvement  of 
its  members.  The  average  character  of  brakemen 
has  much  improved  since  the  organization  of  the  Asso- 
ciation; it  has  inspired  ambition,  and  developed  talent, 
and  has  made  its  members  a  surprise  to  themselves  by 
the  healthful  and  elevating  influences  which  they  have 
found  within  it. 

The  preamble  to  the  constitution  contains  these 
words : 

"To  unite  the  railroad  brakemen :  to  promote  their 
general  welfare,  and  advance  their  interests — social, 
moral  and  intellectual;  to  protect  their  families  by  the 
exercise  of  a  systematic  benevolence,  very  needful  in  a 
calling  so  hazardous  as  ours,  this  fraternity  has  been 
organized." 

Article  XXII,  Section  I,  of  the  constitution  of  sub- 
ordinate lodges,  reads  as  follows : 

"  An}-  member  dealing  in,  or  in  any  way  connected 
with  the  sale  of  intoxicating  liquors,  shall,  unless  he 
withdraws,  be  expelled.  Any  member  found  guilty  of 
drunkenness  shall  be  suspended  for  the  first  offense. 
A  repetition  shall  be  punished  by  expulsion,  and  under 
no  circumstances,  shall  a  member  so  expelled,  be  rein- 
stated before  the  lapse  of  six  months." 


CHAPTER  IX. 

REDUCED    WAGES    AND    CLASSIFICATION. 

In  1873,  the  C,  B.  &  Q.  road  used  only  a  single 
track  in  doing  the  company's  business  between  Chica- 
go and  Galesburg.  The  volume  of  business  was  so 
great  that  trains  met  with  many  delays,  often  waiting 
for  hours  upon  the  side  track,  waiting  for  Chicago 
bound  trains  having  the  right  of  way.  Trains  bound 
•west  would  often  be  many  hours  more  than  time  al- 
lotted on  the  time-card  in  making  the  trip,  and  no  al- 
lowance was  ever  made  for  such  service.  It  also  had 
been  the  practice  to  allow  the  men  to  go  into  the  re- 
pair shops  with  their  engines  when  they  needed  re- 
pairing, and  work  on  them.  This  usage  had  been 
discontinued  and  the  men  would  sometimes  have  to 
wait  in  idleness  for  months,  while  the  engine  was  un- 
der repairs.  Being  left  without  work,  reduction  of 
pay  and  other  conditions  equally  unsatisfactory,  induced 
the  engineers  to  appoint  a  committee,  which  con- 
sisted of  L.  E.  Johnson,  who  is  at  this  writing  super- 
intendent at  Aurora,  William  Wilson,  and  J.  C.  Por- 
ter, who  were  instructed  to  draw  up  a  paper  to  be 
submitted  to  the  various  divisions  for  approval,  or  cor- 
rection, and,  if  approved,  to  be  presented  to  the  gen- 
eral manager,  Mr  Harris,  with  the  request  that  the 
matters  complained  of  should  be  investigated  and 
remedied.  The  committee  chosen  to  present  this 
to     Mr.    Harris,    was  Irwin     Alexander,    of    Quincy, 


34  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

Barney  Wagner,  of  Galesburg,  and  L.  E.  John- 
son, of  Aurora.  These  gentlemen  addressed  the 
following  letter  to  the  General  Manager: 

Galesburg,  111.,  Sept.  23,  1873. 
Robert  Harris,  Esq., 

General  Supt,  C,  B.  &  Q.  R   R. 
Dear  Sir 

The  engineers  of  the  C,  B.  &  Q.  R.  R., 
and  leased  lines  east  of  the  Mississippi  River, 
feeling  that  they  are  not  receiving  sufficient  pay  for 
the  labor  performed,  have  requested  the  undersigned 
engineers  to  wait  upon  the  general  officers  of  the  road, 
for  the  purpose  of  requesting  them  to  increase  our 
pay  to  the  standard  of  $4  per  day,  on  all  divisions  of 
the  road  as  they  now  are,  also  that  the  nine-tenths  of  full 
time  be  allowed  them  when  not  made,  the  same  to  be 
paid  monthly,  allowing  all  extra  time  made  over  and 
above.      The  reasons  for  the  above  are  as  follows: 

1.  The  increase  of  responsibility  placed  upon  them. 

2.  The  increase  of  the  number  of  hours  on  the  road. 

3.  The  increased  amount  of  work  performed  while 
on   duty. 

4.  That  a  transfer  of  engines  and  men  from  Aurora 
to  Galesburg  has  largely  increased  their  expenses,  al- 
so keeping  them  from  their  homes  much  more  than 
previous  to  the  change. 

5.  That  engines  running  from  Aurora  to  Chicago 
on  freight,  are  in  many  instances  compelled  to  run 
to  the  stock  yards  and  then  to  the  Chicago  yards,  re- 
quiring from  ten  to  sixteen  hours  for  one  day's  work. 

6.  That  they  are    required  to   hold    themselves  in 


REDUCED    WAGES   AND    CLASSIFICATION.  35 

readiness  for  duty  at  all  times,  both  night  and  day, 
frequently  being  called  upon  for  certain  hours,  and 
after  remaining  in  yards  waiting  for  trains  from  two  to 
six  hours,  on  their  engines,  then  being  obliged  to 
make  their  trip  for  the  same  amount  of  pay. 

We  would  also  be  pleased  to  have  our  firemen  paid 
in  the  same  proportion. 

The  above  we  most  respectfully  lay  before  you  for 
your  consideration  and  favor. 

Yours  Truly, 
(Signed)  Barney  Wagner,  Galesburg, 

Irwin  Alexander,  Quincy, 
L.  E.  Johnson,  Aurora. 
To  Robert  Harris,  Esq.,  Chicago,  111., 

To  this  there  came  a  reply  as  follows: 

Chicago,  111.,  Oct.   27,  1873. 
Messrs.  B.  Wagner,  I.  Alexander  andL.  E.Johnson, 

Gentlemen  of  the  Committee: 

"It  was  "understood  at  the  time  you 
presented  the  communication  about  pay,  September 
23,  that  I  would  look  into  the  matter  and  see  if. 
there  appeared  proper  grounds  for  increasing  it. 
This  has  been  done,  and  the  conclusion  is  not  to  in- 
crease the  standard  of  compensation.  I  think  it  will 
appear,  all  things  considered,  that  the  engineers  and 
firemen  on  this  road  are  compensated  as  highly  as  else- 
where. 

Mr.  Chalender  is  authorized  to  make  a  proper  al- 
lowance, over  and  above  the  existing  standard  on  the 
eastern  division,  for  such  engineers  as  run  from  Aurora 


36  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

to  the  stock  yards  and  thence  to  the  freight  station. 
The  division  master  mechanic  will  see  that  the  diffi- 
culty of  being  called  unnecessarily  early  before  start- 
ing is  remedied,  if  engineers  will  call  his  attention  to 
it  whenever  it  occurs. 

Yours  Truly, 

(Signed)     Robert  Harris. 

The  delays,  of  which  the  committee  complained, 
were  liable  to  occur  every  day,  and  cost  the  engineers 
an  average  of  three  hours  each  trip,  making  an  aver- 
age of  three  hours  of  unpaid  labor.  '  The  remark  of 
Mr.  Harris  that  the  engineers  were  paid  as  well  as 
elsewhere  is  true,  if  we  consider  the  pav  for  the  trip 
under  favorable  circumstances.  The  company  has 
usuallv  paid  extreme  prices  on  what  is  called  the 
main  line,  and  so  they  prevented  the  possibility  of  a 
united  effort  to  correct  unfavorable  rates  on  the  other 
parts  of  the  system.  This  will  be  more  clearly  pre- 
sented in  the  work  of  the  committee  of  1886. 

The  effort  to  set  right  a  grievous  wrong  in  1873, 
had  little  effect,  except  to  intensify  a  sense  of  injus- 
tice in  the  minds  of  the  men,  and  also  to  confirm  the 
officers  of  the  road  in  their  purpose  to  tighten  their 
grip  on  their  employes.  Up  to  this  time  there  was  au 
apprenticeship  of  one  year  for  engineers,  paying  $3  per 
day.  and  after  one  year,  full  pay,  viz: $3.87 y2.  But  an 
order  was  issued  October  1,  1876,  which  had  some-, 
thing  of  the  suddenness  and  the  effect  of  a  bombshell: 

Chicago,  111.,  Oct.  1,  1876. 
"  On  and  after  October   10,   1876,  apprentice  fire- 
men on  switch  engines,  will  receive  for  first  year,  $1.40 


REDUCED    WAGES    AND    CLASSIFICATION.  37 

per  day;  second  year,  $1.50;  third  year, $1.60.  Fire- 
men on  the  road  will  receive  first  year,  $1.50;  second 
year,  $1.75;  third  year,  $2.00.  Engineers  will  receive  for 
first  year  $2.25;  second  year  $2.50;  third  year,  $2.85. 
Old  engineers  to  receive  $3.48." 

This  was  a  cut  of  ten  per  cent  on  former  wages, 
and  it  included  all  train  men.  A  meeting  of  train  men 
was  called  at  Galesburg  in  which  all  grades  of  work 
were  well  represented,  and  a  petition  was  signed  by 
one  hundred  arid  thirty  employes,  asking  that  wages 
be  put  back  to  the  rates  prior  to  December,  1873. 
The  officers  of  the  road  insisted  upon  the  necessity 
and  the  fairness  of  the  reduction  of  wages,  and  so  it 
remained. 


CHAPTER  X. 

BURLINGTON  POLICY  DEFINED. 

We  now  propose  to  ask  what  the  necessity  was 
which  took,  with  one  flourish  of  the  pen,  ten  cents  of 
every  dollar  of  income  from  every  train  man  on  the  C, 
B.  &  Q.  system.  Then  bear  in  mind -that  a  small  as- 
sessment on  a  very  large  number  will  produce  an 
enormous  sum.  For  example:  the  Union  Pacific 
Road,  according  to  its  president's  report  in  1888,  em- 
ploys 14,000  men.  Their  pay  ranges  from  $1  to  $4 
per  day.  Let  the  average  be,  say,  $2  per  day, 
and  ten  per  cent  on  all  salaries  would  yield  an  income 
of  $2,800  per  day,  or  in  a  year  of  315  days,  $882,000. 
These  figures  show  that  railway  managers  can  play  a 
great  game  with  small  factors.  Employes  will  not 
leave  for  trifling  reasons.  To  take  the  risk  of  finding- 
other  work,  with  probable  loss  of  time  and  expense  of 
moving,  and  perhaps  leaving  a  little  property,  is  a  se- 
rious matter,  and  the  laborer  will  submit  to  extortion  till 
endurance  is  no  longer  possible.  Then  the  corporation 
defines  the  required  labor  and  its  conditions,  and  fixes 
the  wages,  and  so  settles  at  once  both  the  buying  and 
selling  price  of  labor.  The  laborer,  therefore,  in  be- 
ginning work  for  a  railway  of  close  calculations,  as- 
sumes the  risks  of  the  company  without  being  a  sharer 
in  its  profits.  Now  the  railway  laborer  may  have  to 
suffer  a  reduction  of  wages  for  either  of  two  reasons: 

One  way  in  which  he  may  lose,  is  when  he   is   com- 


BURLINGTON    POLICY    DEFINED.  39 

pelled  to  build  up  the  position  and  the  fortune  of  the 
chief  officers  of  the  road,  personally.  A  few  years 
ago,  the  mayor  and  aldermen  of  Toronto  were  inves- 
tigating the  affairs  of  the  Grand  Trunk  of  Canada. 
In  the  examination,  alderman  Tinning  asked  a  wit- 
ness: "Mr.  Duffin,  will  you  explain  about  the  thirty- 
five  per  cent  ?" 

Mr.  Duffin :  "  It  means  that  by  whatever  means  the 
chief  officers  of  the  road  reduce  the  working  expenses 
of  the  road,  they  have  a  guarantee  from  the  board  of 
directors  in  the  old  country  of  thirty-five  per  cent  on 
that  account." 

Alderman  Bronsted :  "But  who  gets  that  ?" 

Mr.  Duffin :  "  The  heads  of  departments,  Messrs. 
Hickson,  Wallace,  Blackwell,  Spicer,  and  Roberts. 
Probably,  when  they  see  this  report,  they  may  try  to 
deny  it,  but  I  am  prepared  to  prove  it.  Roberts  de- 
nied, but  Blackwell  said  it  was  true,  and  that  he  had 
$130  over  his  last  quarter's  salary,  from  savings  he  had 
effected  in  his  department.  I  told  Mr.  Hickson  and 
Mr.  Wallis  that  that  was  a  grievance  last  year,  and  that 
men  could  not  see  how  the  officers  could  demean  them- 
selves to  try  to  reduce  our  wages  in  order  to  put 
thirtv-five  per  cent  in  their  pockets." 

After  all,  the  affairs  of  the  Grand  Trunk  prove 
nothing  concerning  other  trunks,  but  one  thing  is  cer- 
tain, if  a  high  officer  anywhere,  has  the  faculty  to  an- 
nually increase  the  gross  product  of  his  department, 
and  as  regularly  reduce  its  working  expenses,  the  com- 
pany would  grapple  him  with  hooks  of  silver,  and  he 
would  be  too  valuable  to  lose.  Before  such  a  man, 
higher  positions   and  finer   salaries  would  open,   and 


40  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

tempting  offers  from  other  roads  would  descend  upon 
him  like  gentle  rain  on  the  tender  grass. 

Another  way  in  which  a  railway  laborer  may  be   a 
loser,  is  when  his  wages  must  be  cut  down  to  make  up 
for  losses  by  mismanagement  at  headquarters.      Ev- 
ery reader  of  these  facts  will  remember  the  cut  of  rates 
in  1876,  in  which  there  was  a   powerful  combination 
against  New  York  City.     It  was  a  universal,  magnifi- 
cent strike.     It  was  official  striking  official,  road  strik- 
ing road.     Freight  was   carried  for   less  than  it  cost. 
Passengers  were  almost  hired  to  ride  in  the  sleeping 
cars.     The  old  rate  of  fifteen  dollars  a  ton  from  New 
York  to  Chicago  went  down  to  four.     So  wild  did  the 
rivalry  of  rates  run,  that  the  stockholders  of  the  Mich- 
igan  Central   Railway   Company,    four   hundred   and 
fiftv-four  of  them,  employed  the  best  legal  talent  in 
the   land,   Henry  S.    Bennett,    14    Wall    street,   New 
York,  and  served  a  notice  on   Hon.    Samuel    Sloan, 
president  of  that  company,  insisting  upon   it   that  the 
ruinous,    suicidal  policy  of  cutting  rates  must  be  at 
once    abandoned.      The   shareholders    directed    their 
attorneys  to  say  to  President  Sloan,  "  We  ask  you  to 
restore  and  maintain  the  former  rates   for  travel  and 
freight,  and  to  withdraw  from  any  combination    which 
has  for  its  object  any  undue  reduction,  with  a  view  to 
compete  with  other  roads.     If  you  refuse,  or  fail  to 
comply  therewith,  I,  and  my  associates,   are  directed 
by  them,  to  employ  such  remedies  as  the   courts   will 
afford  to  enforce  their  rights,  and  to  protect  the  prop- 
erty and  interests  of  the  company."     The  mismanage- 
ment and  madness  of  the  Michigan  Central  seemed  to 
be  epidemic  among  all  the  chief  roads  of  the  country. 


JAMES    I..    MONOGHAN. 


GRAND    MASTER,   S.    M.    A.    A. 


THE  LIBIT 
OF  THE 
UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


BURLINGTON    POLICY    DEFINED.  41 

The  inevitable  result  was  the  exhaustion  of  great 
surpluses,  and  the  depletion  of  treasuries.  There 
was  One  untried  source  of  income, — the  management 
could  cut  down  the  wages  of  laborers  on  the  roads. 
What  did  they  do  ? 

The  New  Jersey  Central  ordered  a  cut  of  ten  per- 
cent to  take  effect  August  i,  1876.  At  a  stockhold 
ers'  meeting  on  February  7,  Mr.  Knight,  president- 
of  the  company  said :  "  The  Central  R.  R.,  of  New 
Jersey,  had  declared  since  1866,  dividends  aggregat- 
ing $14,400,000.  That  had  these  been  aver- 
aged at  eight  per  cent,  there  would  have  been  left  in 
the  treasury  $3,413,666.13."  This  meeting  was  called 
to  borrow,  or  assess  the  stockholders  $3,000,000,  the 
result  of  an  effort  to  ruin  other  roads  through  a  war 
of  rates.  This  was  made  to  appear  at  a  meeting  held 
at  St.  James  Hotel,  in  New  York  City,  on  December 
16,  1876,  which  was  attended  by  the  presidents  of  the 
Erie,  New  York  Central,  Pennsylvania  Central,  Bal- 
timore and  Ohio,  and  others,  when  an  agreement  was 
entered  into  to  restore  the  rates,  and  terminate  the 
discrimination  against  New  York,  as  an  export  city. 
This  was  an  acknowledgment  of  the  cause  of  the 
financial  depression  of  the  railroad  companies,  whose 
unwise  policy  had  caused  the  loss.  The  method  of 
replenishing  was  not  to  assess  the  loss  on  capital,  but 
on  labor,  and  by  their  great  power  to  compel  the  la- 
borer to  make  their  losses  good,  or  at  least  to  assist 
in  doing  so. 

In  accordance  with  this  policy  the  rate  of  wages  was 
reduced,  not  by  common  consent,  nor  by  any  pretense 
that  a  general  financial  change  in  the   country   would 
4 


42  THE    BURLINGTON'    STRIKE. 

enable  the  laborer  to  endure  it,  but  by  a  sovereign  or- 
der that  on  such  a  day,  "your  pay  will  be  reduced  ten 
per  cent."  These  orders  flashed  across  the  country 
in  alarming  rapidity.  The  New  Jersey  Central  cut 
wages  on  August  i,  1876;  the  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincv  on  October  10;  the  Cairo  &  St.  Louis  on 
November  1 ;  the  Grand  Trunk,  of  Canada,  on  Dec- 
ember 7.  Many  other  roads  fell  in  line  with  the 
same  policy.  The  third  cut  on  the  Pennsylvania  Cen- 
tral was  made  on  May  27,  1877,  reducing  engineers 
to  $2.70  per  day,  and  firemen  to  $1.25. 

Some  railroad  companies,  whatever  they  had  done 
in  the  war  of  rates,  had  not  the  excuse  of  poverty  for 
cutting  down  salaries.  For  example:  "  The  net 
earnings  from  lines  operated  by  the  Pennsylvania  R. 
R.,  company  during  the  year  1876  amounted  to  $12,- 
834,385.78,  and  yet  retrenchment  is  the  cry.1"  From 
this  statement  it  is  evident  that  this  road  survived  the 
war  in  good  shape,  as  it  shows  an  increase  of  over  a 
million  dollars  over  the  year  1875.  But  it  was  a  good 
time  to  join  in  effectively  tying  up  railway  labor,  by 
the  exercise  of  a  right  that  comes  not  from  justice,  but 
from  the  merciless  power  of  capital. 

We  have  already  alluded  to  the  fact  that  a  petition  of 
one  hundred  and  thirty  engineers  was  presented  to 
Mr.  Hitchcock  without  result.  The  engineers  sent 
their  committee  to  Galesburg,  where  they  met  on 
October  10,  11, -and  12.  This  committee  consisted 
of  S.  R.  Clark,  of  Divison  62;  F.  A.  Chase,  Division 
32:  F.  H.Reynolds,  Division  154;  J.  McGuire,  Divis- 
ion 134;  and  G.  B.Webster,  Division  112,  who  was 
chosen  chairman.     The  committee  met  with  Mr.  Chal- 

1  Engineers'  Journal,  July,  1877. 


BURLINGTON    POLICY    DEFINED.  43 

ender,  master   mechanic,    and    Mr.    Strong,    division 
superintendent,  and  represented: 

That  the  pay  of  engineers  had  been  reduced. 

That  the  plan  of  apprenticing  engineers  for  six  to 
ten  years  before  getting  full  pay  was  oppression. 
That  the  Burlington  stock  yards  run  was  reduced 
fifty  cents  per  day  and  the  hours  were  increased. 
That  at  Mt.  Pleasant  and  at  Chicago,  switching  was 
required  for  from  two  to  eight  hours  without  pay  being 
allowed  for  it;  that  with  overloaded  trains  they 
must  double  the  hills,  losing  one  to  five  hours;  also  that 
they  shall  have  respectful  treatment  from  division 
master  mechanics. 

Some  of  the  minor  complaints  were  adjusted,  and 
others  were  referred  to  the  general  superintendent, 
Mr.  Robert  Harris.  That  gentleman  was  away  from 
the  city,  and  to  their  telegram  he  replied  that  he  could 
not  return  until  the  midlde  of  the  next  week.  The 
committee  then  reported  to  their  respective  divisions, 
and  they  voted  to  refer  the  subject  to  the  convention 
to  be  held  in  October. 

On  December  8,  1876,  the  committee  went  again 
to  Chicago,  in  company  with  Grand  Chief  Engineer, 
P.  M.  Arthur.  Thev  went  to  the  office  of  the  gener- 
al superintendent,  Mr.  Robert  Harris,  and  found  him 
in  an  excited  state  of  mind,  pacing  the  floor,  stroking 
his  hair  with  one  hand,  and  so  absorbed  as  to  forget  to 
give  any  civil  recognition  to  his  visitors.  Mr.  Arthur 
respectfully  told  him  the  occasion  of  the  call,  where- 
upon Mr.  Harris  said  in  a  petulant  manner,  that  he 
did  not  propose  to  have  any  pope  come  here  to  inter- 
fere   with    him  and  his  engineers.     Mr.  Arthur  told 


44  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

him  he  did  not  come  here  as  a  pope,  but  as  a  gentle- 
man, and  he  expected  to  meet  one,  and  in  the  hope 
that  they  could  together  fix  up  the  differences  and  have 
peace.  Mr.  Harris :  "  If  that  is  the  case,  we  will  hear 
what  you  have  to  say,"  still  pacing  the  floor. 

Mr.  Arthur:  "Sit  down  then;  I  cannot  talk  to  a 
man's  back." 

Mr.  Arthur  then  went  over  the  complaints  of  the 
men,  some  of  which  were  so  grossly  unjustifiable  that 
Mr.  Harris  said  they  should  be  remedied.  The  classi- 
fication system  was  reduced  from  four  years  to  three. 

Mr.  F.  A.  Chase,  Division  32,  was  uncompromising 
in  his  censures  of  the  company.  He  would  yield  noth- 
ing; not  an  iota.  But  for  him,  good  terms  could  have 
been  made,  and  the  almost  complete  failure  of  the  com- 
mittee turned  on  the  violence  of  his  feelings.  Said  he 
to  Mr.  Arthur,  "If  I  should  go  home  and  tell  my  wife 
that  I  had  given  in  to  the  company,  she  would  disown 
me."  He  was  so  radical  as  to  disable  the  others.  No 
satisfactory  agreement  could  be  reached.  No  better 
conditions  could,  in  his  presence,  be  made.  The  fav- 
oring moment  went  by.  On  December  20,  this  com- 
mitteeman wrote  a  letter  to  his  division,  begging  of 
them  the  kindest  feeling  they  could  command  towards 
him,  expressing  great  fear  of  their  disrespect,  and  ask- 
ing to  be  allowed  to  withdraw  from  the  Order.  A 
few  words  will  complete  his  history  as  a  committee- 
man :  After  he  began  his  duties  in  the  committee,  he 
took  a  ride  with  Mr.  Chalender,  the  master  mechanic 
of-  the  road,  in  which  ride,  he  said  afterwards,  the 
grievance  business  was  not  mentioned.  Then  in  the 
committee  he  was  so  radical  as  to  defeat  his  fellow 


BURLINGTON    POLICY    DEFINED.  45 

members.  Immediately  he  withdrew  from  the  Order, 
after  receiving  for  his  time  and  expenses  $96.87.  Then 
honors  and  promotions  began  to  shower  upon  him 
from  the  company.  Very  soon  he  obtained  an  engine 
on  a  passenger  train,  though  not  entitled  to  it  from  age 
in  service; then  he  was  foreman  of  the  round  house  at 
Aurora,  afterward  master  mechanic  at  St.  Joseph. 
His  conversion  from  Brotherhood  to  Burlington  was 
as  sudden  as  St.  Paul's,  and  like  that  eminent  martyr, 
his  zeal  was  greater  in  his  second  consecration  than  in 
his  first,  and  all  that  without  a  scrap  of  the  material  of 
which  martyrs  are  made.  The  company  showed  great 
skill  in  using  means  to  break  up  the  committee  by 
discharge  or  otherwise,  but  did  not  often  succeed. 
The  result  of  this  appeal  to  the  company  was  not  re- 
ceived with  good  grace,  and  it  united  all  concerned  in 
a  determination  to  effect  a  change  for  the  better, 
which  resulted  in  a  strike  and  suspension  of  business 
in  July,  1877 


CHAPTER  XL 

THE    STRIKE    OF    1877. 

A  call  was  made  for  a  meeting  at  Burlington,  to 
which  all  class  of  train  men  responded,  and  a  commit- 
tee was  appointed  to  present  their  requests  to  the  Com- 
pany. Then  commenced  the  usual  maneuvers  of 
officials  to  intimidate  by  threats  of  discharge,  etc.  They 
had  posted  a  notice  that  unless  the  men  came  to  the 
office  and  signed,  ready  to  go  to  work,  that  after 
such  an  hour  they  could  consider  themselves  dis- 
charged.1 

Wheaton  and  Belknap,  in  their  famous  circular  of 
1888,  charge  the  engineers  with  bad  faith,  but  the 
charge  is  not  sustained  by  the  documents  before  me, 
or  by  living  witnesses  who  were  participants.  Both 
factions  charge  bad  faith  which  was  probably  true  of  a 
few  men.  This  is  always  the  case  in  such  trials  of 
character.  It  is  said  that  "  self  preservation  is  the  first 
law  of  nature, "  and  we  find  this  principle  actuating 
men  in  an  inverse  ratio  to  the  character  they  possess 
— the  less  of  character  the  more  of  preservation.  It  is 
not  often  that  a  bad  man  performs  good  deeds. 

The  side  tracks  were  blocked  with  cars  ;  the  Chicago 
end  of  the  line  being  tied  up  in  consequence  of  the  spread 
of  the  great  Pennsylvania  strike  of  that  year.  A 
switch  having  been  thrown  in  front  of  a  freight  train 
running  into  a  spur  track,  and  the  whole  train  going 
off  the  rails  and  upon  the  ground,    the   engineer,  fire- 

1  Living  witnesses. 


THE    STRIKE    OF    1877.  47 

man,  conductor  and  brakeman  were  obliged  to  flee  for 
their  lives.  Women,  children  and  men,  of  all  kinds 
and  colors,  swarmed  in  the  yards,  and  threw  stones 
and  all  sorts  of  missiles  at  the  men.  They  had  no  in- 
terest in  the  railroad,  but  had  taken  the  fever  and  were 
ready  to  commit  any  depredations  against  a  railroad, 
even  to  kill  its  employes. 

The  Burlington  Company  knew  this  could  not  last 
and  that  they  must  get  their  own  troubles  over  in  some 
manner,  so  that  they  would  have  men  to  do  business  with. 
The  men  at  Creston,  Iowa,  had  an  understanding  with 
W.  P.  Montgomery,  the  committeeman  at  Burlington, 
that  no  notices  would  be  received  by  them  unless  the  in- 
itials of  his  name  were  reversed  to  P.  W.  Montgomery. 
Mr.  Potter,  then  superintendent  of  the  Iowa  lines, 
sent  telegrams  to  Creston  telling  the  men  that  all  was 
settled,  and  signed  Mr.  Montgomery's  name,  but  not 
knowing  the  understanding  about  the  signature  did 
not  sign  it  right,  and  the  men  would  not  believe  it  was 
authentic. 

Some  of  the  conductors  started  for  Burlington  with 
a  hand  car  and  the  engineers  demanded  an  engine  and 
way  car  to  go  and  see  the  committee  themselves, 
which  was  finally  given  them.  Such  was  the  condi- 
tion of  doubt  and  mistrust  all  along  the  line.  July  27, 
the  following  letter  was  written,  to  wit: 

Chicago,  Burlington  and  Quincy  R.  R.  Co. 

Office  Division  Superintendent. 

Burlington,  Iowa,  July  27,  1877. 

I  am  authorized  to  say  to  you  that  if  the  engineers, 
firemen,  and  switchmen  return  to  work  without  further 


48  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

delay,  that  they  in  common  with  other  employes 
shall  not  be  discharged  for  any  participation  in  the 
present  strike.  And  that  any  grievance,  either  set 
forth  in  writing,  or  by  word  of  mouth,  presented  to 
the  manager  of  the  road,  shall  receive  a  respectful 
hearing,  and  action  shall  be  taken  in  the  matter  with- 
in a  reasonable  time. 

C.  E.  Perkins, 

Vice-President. 

It  is  certain  that  not  much  respect  was  intended  in 
this  letter.  It  was  evidently  addressed  to  the  com- 
mittee representing  the  Burlington  employes,  but  no 
complimentary  address  is  either  at  the  beginning  or 
end,  and  the  conductors  are  not  mentioned  at  all. 

Mr.  Perkins  is  autocratic,  and  yielded  this  much  be- 
cause of  a  necessity.  But  this  did  not  cure  the  diffi- 
culty, although  it  might  have  had  a  tendency  to  in- 
duce them  to  accept  the  promise  that  was  made  in  the 
name  of  Robert  Harris,  general  manager,  in  a  dis- 
patch received  at  Aurora,  promising  that  if  the  men 
would  go  to  work,  as  soon  as  the  panic  was  over 
their  pay  should  be  adjusted  satisfactorily,  and 
signed — Robert  Harris,  general  manager.  The 
men  having  great  confidence  in  Mr  Harris,  accepted 
his  proposition  in  good  faith,  and  sent  the  following 
dispatch  to  Galesburg  : a 

Aurora,  July  30,  77. 
Kimball  &  Porter,      (Grievance  committeemen.) 

The  Engineers,  firemen    and  trainmen   of 

1  Living  witnesses. 


THE    STRIKE    OF    1877.  49 

Chicago    Division    accept    Mr.    Harris's  communica- 
tion of  July  30,  received  at  4:27  p.  m.1 

A.  S.  Darling,  Engineer, 
Jno.  White,  Conductor, 
Harry  Calkins,  Fireman, 
H.  Dammer,   Brakeman, 
F.  Reed,  Switchman. 

Another  dispatch  was  sent  from  Burlington  to  J.  C. 
Porter. 

"  Committee  from  Ottumwa  just  arrived  here.  Did 
you  receive  our  agreement  of  settlement  last  night? 
Everything  settled  and  quiet  at  this  point  and  men  all 
at  work."  ! 

W.  Green,  Chairman. 

1  Disoatch  as  sent. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

INCREASING    IRREGULARITIES. 

Everything  moved  off  again  as  though  there  had 
been  no  differences  existing,  all  feeling  that  the  promises 
would  be  fulfilled,  but  as  time  passed  and  business  re- 
sumed its  former  briskness,  doubt  began  to  take  the 
place  of  confidence,  and  the  men  began  to  inquire  into 
the  cause,  and  they  were  told  by  those  who  were  in  a 
position  to  know,  that  Mr.  Harris  did  not  make  the 
promise,  but  that  superintendent  Strong  did,  using  Mr. 
Harris's  name ;  and  that  Mr.  Harris,  on  being  informed 
of  the  action  taken,  said  he  never  made  any  promises 
he  did  not  fulfill,  and  that  the  adjustment  must  be 
made.1  In  consequence  of  this,  Mr.  Harris  was  noti- 
fied that  his  resignation  would  be  accepted,  and  Mr. 
Harris  resigned  and  went  to  St.  Louis,  Rock  Island  & 
Chicago  road,  and  Mr.  W.  B.  Strong  was  appointed 
in  his  place;  Arthur  A.  Hobart  in  Mr.  Strong's  place.2 
This  ended  the  promise,  and  the  classification  established 
by  the  order  of  October  10,  1876  still  stood.  The 
official  plans  were  laid  and  carried  out  without  regard 
to  personal  obligations,  and  with  utter  disregard  for 
truth,  but  in  a  direct  line  with  all  their  dealing  with 
their  employes. 

Mr.  Harris  was  out  of  the  way,  and  a  policy  was  in- 
augurated of  getting  rid  of — in  some  manner — the 
presumed  leaders  of  any  movement  for  the  better  condi- 
tion of  the  employe.     At  this  time,  Mr.  L.  E.  Johnson, 

1  Statement  of  living  witnesses.  2  Firemens'  Mag.,  Dec,  1876. 


INCREASING    IRREGULARITIES.  5 1 

who,  the  reader  will  remember,  was  chairman  of  the 
grievance  committee  who  waited  on  Mr.  Harris  in 
1873,  was  made  foreman  at  Ottumwa  in  the  early  part 
of  1S78,  and  Mr.  Chase  was  provided  with  a  passen- 
ger train,  and  later  was  made  foreman  at  Aurora;  en- 
listing these  two — who  had  been  a  thorn  in  their  side 
as  representatives  of  the  Brotherhood — on  the  side  of 
the  company. 

Mr.  Johnson  was  expelled  for  non-payment  of  dues,1 
and  Mr.  Chase  demanded  a  withdrawal  card  immedi- 
ately after  serving  on  the  committee  of  1876,  and  of 
all  the  official  force  of  the  Burlington,  no  greater  dem- 
agogues were  found  than  these  two  who  had  turned 
their  back  on  the  Brotherhood,  and  having  got  a 
place,  undertook  to  prove  to  the  company  their  sin- 
cere conversion. 

After  being  deceived  in  1877,  no  further  united  ef- 
fort was  attempted  until  1881,  when  Division  112,  sit- 
uated at  Creston,  asked  that  a  committee  be  appointed 
from  each  division  and  to  try  again  to  cure  the  evil  condi- 
tions  of  pay,  but  they  did  not  succeed,  as  only  the  main 
line  proper  had  organizations,  and  some  of  them  were 
disgusted  at  the  result  of  the  1877  effort.  The  St. 
Louis  Division,  from  Rock  Island  to  St.  Louis,  249 
miles,  was  not  organized.  L.  E.  Johnson  was  trans- 
ferred from  Ottumwa  as  foreman,  to  Beardstown  as 
master  mechanic  of  this  division,  and  under  his  man- 
agement the  grievances  were  very  numerous.  It  was 
his  delight  to  lay  the  men  off  for  the  most  trivial  offen- 
ses, whether  accidental  or  careless,  and  the  men  were 
paid  as  best  suited  the  local  officers,  without  any  uni- 
form standard.2     To  illustrate:    from    Beardstown  to 

1  Engineers'  Journal.         -Statement  of  employes,  St.  Louis  Div. 


52  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

Monmouth,  seventy-two  miles,  the  engineer  was  paid 
$2.55.  If  it  took  seven  hours  or  twenty-four  hours, 
the  pay  was  the  same.  They  would  start  out  on  a 
through  Monmouth  run,  and  on  arrival  at  Astoria  coal 
mines,  would  be  stopped  and  made  to  switch  from  three 
to  five  hours,  without  pay. 

In  the  fall  of  1881,  Johnson  was  transferred  to  Au- 
rora, and  A.  Forsyth  was  appointed  to  the  place  va- 
cated at  Beardstown,  but  this  did  not  improve  matters. 
At  this  time,  one  W.  K.  Hollis  was  appointed  round- 
house foreman  at  Beardstown.  This  man  Hollis  had 
been  a  member  of  Division  No.  38,  at  Baltimore;  had 
served  on  grievance  committee  for  that  division,  and 
in  that  capacity  made  demands  on  the  company  con- 
trary to  his  instructions,  and  the  officers  found  him  out 
and  discharged  him.  This  action  on  his  part  broke 
up  the  division,  which  had  some  $200  in  its  treasurv, 
and  owned  its  furniture,  and  Hollis  was  charged  with 
making  way  with  it,  for  which  he  was  expelled.  This 
man  being  put  in  an  official  position  on  this  division, 
did  not  tend  to  allay  the  irritation  the  men  felt,  but 
rather  had  a  tendency  to  increase  it.  Yet  they  had  no 
means  of  redress  until  after  the  organization  of  Divis- 
ion 127,  at  Beardstown,  in  1882.  There  was  a  few 
brotherhood  men  there,  but,  anticipating  dismissal 
for  any  aggressive  move  thev  might  make,  said  noth- 
ing, until  in  July,  1882,  when  a  committee  was  appoint- 
ed to  wait  on  master  mechanic  Forsvth,  in  regard  to 
their  engines  being  taken  to  East  St.  Louis  yard,  as 
had  been  previously  done  by  the  hostler.  It  took  from 
thirty  minutes  to  one  hour  to  do  this  work,  and  the 
men  wanted  this  time  for  rest,  but  Mr.  Forsvth  would 


INCREASING    IRREGULARITIES.  53 

not  grant  the  request,  and  no  further  effort  was  made. 
In  November,  1882,  the  following  circular  was  issued: 

Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  R.  R. 
Office  of  the  General  Superintendent. 

Chicago,  Nov.  9,  1882. 
W.  K.  Hollis,  who  has  been  roundhouse  foreman  at 
East  St.  Louis,  111.,  has  been  discharged  for  dishonesty, 
viz:  in  selling  a  car  of  company  coal  and  appropriating 
the  proceeds  to  his  own  use,  also  in  drawing  another 
man's  pay  and  appropriating  it. 

H.  B.  Stone,  Gen'l.  Supt. 

We  want  the  reader  to  keep  this  man  Hollis  in 
mind,  because  he  is  found  good  enough  to  be  re-em- 
ploved  under  the  direction  of  H.  B.  Stone. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

THE  CONDITION  OF  TRAINMEN  MADE    WORSE. 

Evils  existed  all  along  the  line  of  the  Burlington, 
but  the  organization  was  too  weak  to  resist.  They 
were  of  such  an  irritating  nature  that  the  thoughts  of 
the  men  were  always  in  the  direction  of  securing  some 
means  by  which  redress  could  be  had,  and  at  the 
convention  held  in  Louisville,  in  October,  all  the  repre- 
sentatives from  the  Burlington  met  and  adopted  plans 
tor  the  grievance  committee  of  1883,  which  committee 
met  in  Burlington,  March  27,  and  elected  Chas.  Fish- 
er, of  Creston,  Iowa,  chairman.  This  committee,  met 
Mr.  T.  J.  Potter,  general  manager,  and  H.  B.  Stone, 
the  .general  superintendent,  who  refused  to  grant  any 
concessions,  and  the  sitting  culminated  in  hot  words  be- 
tween Mr.  Potter  and  the  committeeman  from  Divis- 
ion 107.  Great  complaint  was  made  on  account  of 
overwork  without  pay.  Mr.  Potter  gave  the  men  no 
satisfaction  on  this  point,  but  after  they  were  gone  he 
told  the  officers  of  the  Kansas  City,  St.  Joseph  & 
Council  Bluffs  railroad,  that  if  the  men  made  any  more 
fuss  about  delayed  time  they  could  allow  it,  but  that 
under  no  circumstances  were  they  to  tell  them  he 
said  so.  This  Mr.  Potter  acknowledged  to  the  com- 
mittee of  1886,  and  these  men  worked  up  to  that  time 
without  pay  for  such  work.  In  this  Mr.  Potter  ac- 
knowledged the  justice  of  the  claim,  but  capital  never 
loosens  its  grip  unless  it  comes  in  contact  with  some 


THE    CONDITION    OF    TRAINMEN    MADE    WORSE.        55 

compelling  power,  and  Mr.  Potter  knew  the  numerical 
strength  of  the  committee's  backing.  The  Grand 
Chief,  P.  M.  Arthur,  met  with  this  committee,  and  ad- 
vised that  they  go  home  and  get  all  the  men  together, 
and  let  them  know  the  indifference  manifested  by  the 
officials,  put  new  energy  into  their  efforts  to  increase 
their  number,  and  when  two-thirds  of  the  men  were 
members,  the}7  would  try  again. 

To  head  off  this  effort,  George  Calkins  was  ordered 
discharged  in  July,  and  on  August  5,  a  committee  was 
appointed  (by  Division  32,  of  Aurora,  of  which  Mr.  Cal- 
kins was  a  member)  which  was  instructed  to  wait  on 
Mr.  L.  E.  Johnson  (the  same  man  who  was  chairman 
of  the  grievance  committee  of  1873,  now  master  me- 
chanic at  Aurora,)  and  ascertain  the  cause  of  Mr.  Cal- 
kins discharge.  Mr.  Johnson  said  that  Mr.  Calkins 
was  discharged  for  being  too  earnest  a  worker  for  the 
Brotherhood  of  Locomotive  Engineers.  On  Mr.  Cal- 
kins being  discharged,  the  chairman  of  the  general 
grievance  committee,  Mr.  Chas.  Fisher,  of  Creston, 
addressed  a  letter  to  all  divisions  along  the  line,  asking 
them  to  vote  on  the  question  of  whether  they  would 
make  an  effort  to  reinstate  Mr.  Calkins.  For  this  ac- 
tive part  taken  by  Mr.  Fisher,  Mr.  T.J.  Potter  ordered 
his  discharge,  and  in  the  fore  part  of  August,  votes 
were  taken  to  sustain  these  men;  but  the  fear  of  dis- 
missal and  the  realization  of  a  lack  of  power  to  carry 
all  the  men  with  them,  (only  about  one-half  being  mem- 
bers) the  case  was  never  brought  to  an  issue.  The 
convention,  in  October,  paid  to  each,  three  months 
salary,  and  Mr.  Calkins  was  paid  until  he  obtained  an- 
other situation.     Mr.  Fisher  has  never  been  employed 


56  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

as  engineer  since. 

All  this  time  the  corporation  screw  was  being  tight- 
ened. Efforts  were  made  at  local  points  to  correct  lo- 
cal affairs,  but  always  with  the  same  results.  Times 
were  dull  and  every  division  officer  was  trying  to  make 
a  better  showing  than  his  neighbour  on  another  divis- 
ion. On  the  St.  Louis  division,  Mr.  Forsyth  in  1884, 
concluded  to  do  away  with  hostlers  at  Monmouth  and 
make  the  engine  men  clean  the  fires  and  put  away 
their  own  engines  in  the  roundhouse  without  pay. 
The  local  committee  waited  on  him,  and  as  this,  like 
most  other  evils,  emanated  from  some  local  official,  he 
was  induced  to  leave  the  hostler. 

They  then  increased  the  number  of  cars  so  that  the 
men  would  have  to  double  on  the  hills.  Not  being  able 
to  pull  all  the  cars  they  would  have  to  take  part  of  them 
and  go  to  the  next  station  and  set  them  on  the  siding, 
and  come  back  and  get  the  other  part  and  then  couple 
up  and  go  on.  Perhaps  they  would  have  this  to  do 
several  times  during  the  trip,  and  without  any  addi- 
tional pay.  This  is  dangerous  work,  as  many  accidents 
happen  going  down  grade  after  these  parts,  and  mam- 
men  have  been  discharged  in  consequence.  They 
tried  to  cure  this,  but  were  told  that  they  only  had  the 
regular  number  of  cars.  The  men  knew  that  the 
number  had  been  increased  to  get  this  work  done  for 
nothing,  but  they  could  not  help  themselves.. 

Every  act  of  this  kind  tended  to  increase  their  pow- 
er, as  the  men  found  there  was  no  redress  except  in 
organized  effort. 

The  men  all  lived  at  Beardstown  and  were  run  from 
there  whenever  they  needed  them.     They  would  run 


S.    E.    WILKINSON. 

GKAND    MASTER,    B.    R.    B. 


IH1  IRY 

of  m 

UNlV£BSiTY  OF  ILLINGIS 


THE    CONDITION    OF    TRAINMEN    MADE    WORSE.  57 

then  to  Monmouth,  and  unless  they  had  twenty-five 
cars  for  Beardstown,  would  stop  them  at  Bushnell  and 
and  send  them  back  to  Monmouth.  This  run  is  fifty- 
six  miles,  for  which  they  would  get  $2.10,  then  lose 
a  day,  then  make  another  of  this  kind  of  a  trip  and 
lose  another  day.  Some  of  these  men  were  kept 
away  from  home  for  ten  days,  and  finally  one  of  them 
telegraphed  for  a  pass  to  go  home  for  a  change  of 
clothes  and  was  refused  and  he  quit."  Who  will  de- 
fend such  management  as  this  ?  The  men  appointed 
a  committee  and  waited  on  the  master  mechanic,  and 
the  conditions  were  so  outrageous  that  he  agreed  to 
-send  them  home  after  holding  them  three  days  at  Mon- 
mouth. This  would  limit  the  time  away  from  home 
to  five  days. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

PURSUING  A    SUPERINTENDENT. 

No  further  effort  of  note  was  made  until  Feb.  i, 
1885,  when  Division  32,  situated  at  Aurora,  made  a 
call  for  representatives  from  the  various  divisions  loca- 
ted along  the  system  to  meet  in  Burlington  on  March 
3, 1885,  which  was  responded  to  by  J.  C.  Porter,  of  Au- 
rora, Div.  32;Heimerof  Galesburg,  62;  O'Brien  of  Keo- 
kuk, 56;  Kirch  of  Creston,  112;  and  Fowler  of  Burling- 
ton, 151.  Divisions  79,  98,  107,  127,  164,  271  and  290 
were  not  represented.  They  made  a  temporary  or- 
ganization, with  P.  O'Brien  as  temporary  chairman, 
and  Wm.  Fowler  as  temporary  secretary.  Commun- 
ications were  read  from  nearly  all  the  other  points  not 
represented  in  person. 

The  men  along  the  line  had  evidently  not  forgotten 
what  befell  their  predecessors  for  serving  on  commit- 
tee, and  one  of  the  letters  states,  in  the  following  lan- 
guage that  "It  is  going  to  be  a  hard  matter  to  send  a 
man  from  here  to  organize  or  meet  with  a  general 
grievance  committee,  for  the  man  that  goes  from  here 
will  be  discharged,  if  found  out.  You  may  think 
this  strange,  but  if  any  engineer  lays  off  he  must  get  a 
permit  from  the  master  mechanic  if  he  wants  to  leave 
town.  I  write  this  to  show  you  how  we  are  fixed 
since  the  last  time  the  committee  met  in  Burlington, 
but  we  will  get  there  in  some  shape."  1 

Realizing  the  situation,  judging  from  the  precedent 

1  Letter  from  Div.  107  to  chairman  Grand  Grievance  Committee. 


PURSUING    A    SUPERINTENDENT.  59 

of  1883,  they  arrived  at  the  natural  conclusion  that  very 
little  could  be  done  without  a  concert  of  action  on  the 
part  of  all  interested,  and  they  concluded  to  refer  the 
whole  matter  to  the  delegates  to  the  convention  to  be 
held  at  New  Orleans  in  October.  Accordincdv,  the 
temporary  chairman,  Mr.  O'Brien,  of  Keokuk,  reported 
this  meeting,  with  all  the  correspondence,  to  the  con- 
vention at  New  Orleans,  and  this  action  resulted  in  a 
call,  at  that  convention,  for  a  meeting  of  the  delegates 
of  the  C,  B.  &  Q.  R.  R.  which  was  held  in  room  282, 
of  the  St.  Charles  hotel,  Oct.  24, 1885,  and  resulted  in 
the  formation  of  the  committee  of  1886,  with  J.  C. 
Porter,  of  Aurora,  as  chairman,  and  L.  E.  Hinckley,  of 
Galesburg,  as  secretarv. 

On  Jan.  25,  1887,  a  call  was  made  by  the  chairman  for 
the  committee  to  convene  at  Burlington  on  the  22nd  day 
of  February,  1886,  for  the  transaction  of  such  business 
as  might  properly  come  before  it .  On  the  assembling 
of  the  committee,  it  was  found  that  nearly  all  had  ex- 
tensive reports  of  local  affairs,  consisting  of  delayed 
time,  which  they  were  obliged  to  perform  without  re- 
remuneration,  men  laid  off  without  cause,  others  dis- 
charged, and  many  otherwise  annoyed,  none  of  which 
they  had  been  unable  to  correct  with  their  local  offi- 
cers. There  were  volumes  of  this,  especially  from 
the  representatives  of  the  Burlington  &  Missouri,  but 
it  was  decided  that  they  did  not  properly  come  before 
this  committee,  and  it  was  advised  to  try  and  secure 
some  rules,  and  have  them  signed  by  the  general  man- 
ager or  president,  that  would  take  the  power  out  of 
the  hands  of  the  local  officers  to  manipulate  conditions 
to  suit  their  own  fancy. 


60  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

The  men  contended  for  the  principles  enunciated  in 
a  circular  issued  in  1888  to  the  officers  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania R.  R.  Company  which  says:  "The  employes 
of  the  Pennsylvania  lines  are  compensated  sufficiently 
to  make  them  self-respecting  and  reliable,  and  -are  dis- 
ciplined to  the  highest  standard.  A  powerful  preven- 
tive of  discord  is  that  men  filling  the  highest  offices 
are  expected  to  consider  themselves  employes  as  well 
as  the  humblest  subordinates,  are  instructed  to  follow 
their  orders  to  the  letter,  and  pay  due  respect  to  their 
superiors;  and  at  the  same  time  superior  officers  are 
required  to  be  considerate  and  just  in  intercourse  with 
subordinates." '  Unfortunately  both  for  the  financial  in- 
terest, as  well  as  for  the  employes,  of  the  Burlington, 
there  were  no  rules  that  required  the  officers  to  be 
considerate  and  just.  But  an  appointment  to  office,  in 
the  mind  of  the  appointee,  carried  with  it  unlimited  in- 
dividual rights,  to  have  and  to  do  as  seemed  best 
suited  to  the  individual  interests  and  disposition  of  the 
individual  so  appointed. 

Those  who  have  not  given  this  subject  thought,  lit- 
tle realize  the  contentions  that  emanate  from  the  un- 
limited exercise  of  personal  prerogative,  through  the 
999  grades  of  necessary  officials  of  a  great  railroad 
corporation.  A  section  foreman  as  an  officer  in  com- 
mand of  his  squad,  hires  and  discharges  men.  He  can 
be  as  autocratic  as  a  king,  and  there  is  no  redress, 
except  to  leave  the  service,  or  to  appeal  to  higher 
authority. 

A  foreman  of  a  roundhouse  may  suspend  engineers 
and  firemen.  He  may  take  away  any  rights  earned 
bv  years  in  the  service  and  give  to  another.      He  is  gen- 

1  Railway  Service  Gazette. 


PURSUING    A    SUPERINTENDENT.  6 1 

erally  governed  by  his  likes  and  dislikes,  regardless  of 
the  good  of  the  service,  and  an  appeal  to  a  higher 
authority  becomes  necessary. 

A  division  master  mechanic  may  discharge,  suspend, 
or  assess  for  damage,  for  any  infraction  of  rules,  and 
be  governed,  not  by  principle,  but  by  personality  or 
by  a  grudge ;  not  as  a  direct  beneficiary,  but  to  decrease 
the  expense  of  his  division;  to  make  a  more  favorable 
showing  than  other  master  mechanics  of  the  same 
system,  in  order  to  make  sure  his  own  place  or  a  bet- 
ter one. 

Train  masters  and  superintendents  scattered  along 
the  6000  miles  of  the  Burlington,  each  trying  to  outdo 
the  other  in  cheapening  transportation,  lessening  the 
cost  of  material  by  assessing  the  employ  for  damages 
to  rolling  stock,  or  for  stock  killed;  increasing  the 
number  of  cars  in  the  train  until  they  cannot  be  hand- 
led by  the  men  without  doubling  the  hills,  necessita- 
ting additional  work  and  danger  without  additional  pay. 
The  list  of  encroachments  and  unwarranted  exactions 
might  be  strung  out  almost  indefinitely,  but  so  long  as 
they  increased  the  dividends  they  were  always  sanc- 
tioned by  the  management;  and  they  invariably  re- 
fused to  cure  them  unless  confronted  with  some  com- 
bined effort. 

"The  acquiring  of  gain  by  means  of  enforced  levies 
upon  the  meager  earnings  of  employes,  for  petty  in- 
fractions of  arbitrary  rules,  will  hardly  be  accepted  as 
a  legitimate  feature  of  any  business.  And  the  taking 
of  the  small  sums  from  the  many  who  have  little,  in 
order  to  inspire  in  them  greater  zeal  in  the  service  of 
their  despoilers,  may  enforce  discipline,  but  cannot  pro- 


62  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

mote  concord  nor  content.  Attention  is  drawn  to  this 
practice  in  order  to  indicate  one  of  the  methods  by 
which  discontent  and  resentment  may  readily  be  en- 
gendered among  a  large  number  of  employes. 

They  see  their  extremities  taken  advantage  of,  and 
submit  to  it  because  their  necessities  do  not  permit 
them  the  luxury  of  revolt,  but  they  can  hardly  be  ex- 
pected to  like  it,  or  to  congratulate  themselves  upon  a 
commercial  prosperity  reared,  in  a  measure,  upon  their 
own  adversities." ' 

The  committee  composed  of  J.  C.  Porter,  of  Aurora, 
111.,  chairman;  L.  E.  Hinckley,  of  Galesburg,  111.,  sec- 
retary: John  A.  Beaureisen,  of  Aurora,  111.;  Charles 
Dean,  of  the  C.  &  I.,  Aurora,  111. ;  John  Cuvkendall,  of 
Burlington,  Iowa;  John  Stockdale,  of  Creston,  Iowa: 
H.  M.  Martin,  of  Keokuk,  Iowa:  Phil.  Seidenstriker, 
of  Plattsmouth,  Neb.;  George  Wheatly,  of  Beards- 
town,  111.;  C.  H.  Salmons;  of  Brookfield,  Mo.:  Charles 
Thomas,  of  St.  Joseph,  Mo.;  O.  W.  Hutchinson,  of 
Wymore,  Neb.;  S.  E.  Hoge,  of  McCook,  Neb.;  and 
W.  T.  Odell,  of  Chicago,  111.  As  this  committee  was 
general  in  its  nature,  their  efforts  were  directed  to- 
wards formulating  rules  that  would  apply  to  the 
whole  system.  They  had  provided  themselves  with 
the  schedules  and  fixed  conditions  of  all  the  roads 
centering  at  Chicago,  and  from  them  was  made — -de- 
voting a  whole  week  of  earnest  deliberation  to  the  sub- 
ject, voting  upon  each  proposition — the  schedule  as 
presented  to  the  general  manager.  The  committee  ad- 
journed on  Saturday  to  meet  in  Chicago  on  Mondav, 
March  i,  at  10:30  a.  m.,  at  the  Grand  Pacific  Hotel. 
A  dispatch  was  sent  to  Mr.  H.  B.  Stone,  then  general 

1  Bureau  of  Labor  Statistics,  111.,  1886,  pg.  15. 


PURSUING    A    SUPERINTENDENT.  63 

superintendent,  requesting  an  appointment,  and  the 
communication  was  answered  by  the  chief  clerk,  stat- 
ing that  Mr.  Stone  was  out  of  town,  and  he  was  re- 
quested to  forward  the  dispatch  and  obtain  an  answer 
if  possible.  An  answer  was  received  Tuesday  morn- 
ing, appointing  3:00  p.  m.,  March  3,  for  the  confer- 
ence. The  committee  was  admitted  at  the  appointed 
time,  and  a  two  hour's  sitting  was  had,  in  which  Mr. 
Stone  said  he  could  not  consider  the  Hannibal  &  St. 
Joseph;  the  Kansas  City,  St.  Joseph  &  Council  Bluffs; 
or  the  Burlington  &  Missouri,  and  wanted  the  commit- 
tee to  cut  these  lines  out  of  the  consideration,  which 
they  properly  refused  to  do.  The  conditions  most  com- 
plained of  were  placed  on  these  lines  by  the  Burling- 
ton's authority,  but  Mr.  Stone  denied  having  the  power 
to  take  them  away.  The  committee  then  retired  to 
their  quarters  at  the  Grand  Pacific  Hotel  and  sent  a 
request  to  General  Manager  T.  J.  Potter,  stating  that 
they  had  had  an  audience  with  Mr.  Stone,  and  that  he 
had  declared  the  leased  lines  out  of  his  jurisdiction, 
and  asked  an  audience  with  him  at  his  earliest  conven- 
ience. As  soon  as  the  committee  made  its  appearance 
at  headquarters,  Mr.  Potter  arranged  to  leave  the 
city,  Mr.  Stone  stating  that  he  would  probably  be  away 
for  a  fortnight. 

This  the  committee  took  for  a  part  of  an  understand- 
ing between  the  two  to  discourage  them.  But  they  were 
not  in  a  temper  to  be  discouraged.  Mr.  Potter  went 
to  St.  Louis  and  started  from  there  on  a  tour  of  in- 
spection of  the  whole  line  of  the  Burlington,  for  the  evi- 
dent purpose  of  evading  a  meeting  with  this  commit- 
tee, and  to  find  out  the  numerical  strength  of  the   men 


64  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

represented  by  this  committee.  The  telegram  from 
the  committee  to  Mr.  Potter  was  handed  to  him  on 
his  way  from  St.  Louis  to  Burlington.  He  answered, 
saying  he  was  on  his  way  to  Colorado,  on  a  business 
trip,  and  that  it  would  not  be  convenient  to  meet  them. 
Mr.  Potter  was  then  asked  to  delay  his  departure  for 
one  day,  that  there  were  fourteen  of  the  committee  and 
they  had  come  to  see  the  officers.  Mr.  Potter  answered 
on  the  morning  of  March  5,  stating  that  business  en- 
gagments  would  make  it  necessary  for  him  to  go  to 
Colorado,  and  he  would  appoint  March  20,  for  a  meet- 
ing in  Chicago,  and  asked  the  committee  to  see  Super- 
intendent Stone  and  he  would  furnish  transportation  to 
their  respective  homes  and  return  on  the  above  date. 
But  this  committee  had  not  forgotten  the  fate  of  the 
committee  of  1883, '  and  did  not  propose  to  go  home 
and  have  part,  or  the  whole  of  the  committee,  dis- 
charged to  break  it  up,  as  was  then  done,  and  Mr. 
Potter  was  answered  that  the  committee  had  come  to  stav 
until  its  business  was  transacted,  and  they  would  await 
his  return.  This  brought  another  telegram  from  Mr. 
Potter,  saying  that  business  of  great  importance  and  of 
previous  engagements  would  prevent  his  meeting 
them  until  the  day  appointed.  The  committee  saw 
behind  this  a  ruse  to  keep  out  of  the  way,  and  it  was 
learned  that  he  was  in  Burlington  long  enough  to 
have  complied  with  the  request,  if  he  so  desired.  The 
action  of  the  general  manager  made  it  necessary  for 
the  committee  to  remain  in  Chicago  fifteen  days. 

On  Sunday,  March  7,  the  local  officers  were 
congregated  in  Burlington  discussing  the  situation  and 
preparing   an  answer    to  the  conductor's    committee, 

1  Grievance  Committee. 


PURSUING    A    SUPERINTENDENT.  65 

who  had  been  asking  an  increase  of  pay,  and  the  com- 
mittee was  informed  that  the  officers  decided  to  make 
a  reduction  of  the  engineer's  pay,  and  add  it  to  that 
of  the  conductor's,  but  Mr.  Potter  was  reported  as 
saying,  "We  will  have  to  advance  wages  ioper  cent." 
On  March  10,  one  of  the  committee  was  in  Aurora 
and  on  his  return  reported  that  the  officials  were  con- 
gregating at  Aurora,  and  it  was  evident  that  the  com- 
mittee of  fourteen  had  to  contend  with  the  combined 
official  talent  of  the  Burlington  system.  On  the  6th  a 
letter  was  sent  the  Grand  Chief  Engineer  of  the 
Brotherhood  of  Engineers,  P.  M.  Arthur,  which  was 
answered  on  the  8th,  saying  to  the  committee: 
"Have  the  men  vote  on  the  whole  system,  whether 
they  will  sustain  you  in  whatever  action  you  deem 
advisable.  Avoid  all  outside  discussion  of  your  griev- 
ances. Keep  your  own  council,  and  when  you  have 
exhausted  all  your  efforts,  and  want  my  services,  wire 
me  and  I  will  come  at  once." '  P.  M.  Arthur,  Grand 
Chief  Engineer. 

The  grievance  committee,  in  their  preparation  to 
meet  the  Burlington  officers,  appointed  sub-commit- 
tees and  sent  them  to  each  railroad  centering  in  Chi- 
cago, to  obtain  a  schedule  of  wages  paid  on  road  and 
in  yard  service,  for  comparison  with  the  Burlington. 
The  methods  of  the  committee  were  so  quiet  that  the 
reporters  did  not  know  they  were  in  Chicago  until 
about  ten  days  after  their  arrival.  Correspondence  was 
kept  up  with  the  Grand  Chief  Engineer,  and  he 
advised  in  nis  letter  bearing  date  Cleveland,  March 
12,  1886.  "Your  very  interesting  letter  received  and 
read   with   care.     The    time   appointed   to   meet   Mr. 

i  MS.  of  P.  M.  Arthur. 


66  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

Potter  is  rapidly  approaching,  and  the  best  advice  I 
can  give  at  this  stage  of  the  proceedings  is  to  meet 
him  in  a  spirit  of  fairness.  If  he  does  the  same  you 
will  effect  a  settlement  honorable  to  both  sides.  If  he 
is  stubborn  and  will  not  make  any  concessions,  go  at 
once  to  the  president.  If  he  refuses  to  do  anything, 
send  for  me,  and  I  will  see  what  I  can  do.  If  you  can- 
not obtain  all  you  ask  for  in  the  schedule  drawn  up, 
then  compromise  on  something  near  it.  It  is  far  better 
to  do  that  than  to  resort  to  coercion.  I  have  sufficient 
confidence  in  your  committee,  that  they  will  do  what  is 
fair  and  just  between  the  company  and  the  men.  Let 
us  hope  for  the  best,  and  rely  upon  our  manhood  and 
providence  for  our  success.  I  have  declined  to  go  to 
Corsicana,  Texas,  until  your  case  is  settled.  With 
kind  regards  to  all,  I  remain, 

Yours  Fraternally, 

P.  M.  Arthur,  G.  C.  E." 

General  Manager  Potter  went  over  the  whole  sys- 
tem to  Denver,  and  on  the  way  questioned  the  local 
officials  as  to  the  numerical  strength  of  the  brother- 
hoods, and  their  sentiment,  and  upon  his  arrival  in 
Chicago,  on  March  19,  knew  what  he  had  to  contend 
with.  But  he  was  as  well  prepared  as  one  could  be, 
for  defense  of  his  side  of  the  question. 

1  MS.    of  P.  M.  Arthur. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

THE  COUNCIL  OF  WAR. 

At  the  appointed  time,  March  20,  the  committee  were 
invited  to  Mr.  Potter's  office,  and  after  the  usual  intro- 
ductions and  recognitions  of  old  acquaintances,  we 
entered  upon  the  subject  of  the  meeting.  Mr.  Potter, 
like  Mr.  Stone,  took  the  ground  of  supply  and  demand, 
and  asked  why  they  did  not  go  to  some  other  railroad 
if  the  pay  was  not  satisfactory.1  The  principle  of  sup- 
ply and  demand  in  an  open  market  is  deemed  a  com- 
mercial balance.  But  labor  employed  by  a  large  cor- 
poration is  subject  to  the  will  of  the  money  power,  the 
same  as  the  poor  are  affected  by  a  corner  on  wheat. 
The  scope  of  the  control  is  such  that  there  is  virtually 
but  one  market,  and  if  labor  withdraws  from  the  ser- 
vice of  a  railroad  corporation  six  thousand  miles  long, 
it  must  go  perhaps  hundreds  of  miles  to  find  a  new 
market. 

Section  men's  pay  is  reduced  to  95  cents  per  day  by 
the  order  of  a  general  manager  of  the  Burlington, 
when  common  labor  is  worth  $1.25  on  the  market. 
The  section  man  having  no  power  of  redress,  and  be- 
ing ignorant  of  other  business,  has  no  alternative  but 
to  submit.  The  Jute  Trust  increased  the  price  of 
manufactured  jute  50  per  cent,  while  the  labor  which 
produced  it  was  at  the  pauper  point,  and  received  no 
benefit  from  the  advance.  The  consumer  looked  for 
another  market  but  found  nothing  but  Jute  trust  Jute. 

1  Minutes  of  General  Grievance  Committee. 


68  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

and  resorted  to  substitutes,  and  state  legislatures. 
But  where  is  labor's  substitute,  or  legislative  in- 
fluence ?  It  has  neither,  and  must  submit  to  the  inev- 
itable result  of  combined  capital. 

Mr  Potter  was  manager  of  the  Burlington  system, 
and  all  its  leased  lines,  yet  he,  as  Mr.  Stone  had 
done,  denied  having  authority  to  fix  the  pay  and  change 
the  conditions  complained  of.  But  he  would  make  things 
pleasant  east  of  the  Mississippi  if  the  committee  would 
drop  the  Burlington  &  Missouri  and  the  other  leased 
lines,  which  the  committee  again  refused  to  do.  Mr. 
Potter  was  asked  if  there  was  any  official  higher  than 
he  was  that  could  settle  with  the  whole  system,1  and  he 
answered  that  he  had  as  much  authority  as  any  one. 
He  denied  the  right  of  the  Chicago  &  Iowa  railroad 
to  be  represented,  but  he  was  obliged  to  acknowledge 
that  he  was  vice-president  of  that  road.  He  argued 
that  it  was  not  fair  of  the  men  to  ask  a  uniform  pay, 
as  the  conditions  and  expense  of  living  varied;  that, 
for  example,  a  man  ought  to  have  better  pay  in  Ne- 
braska and  Colorado  than  in  Illinois,  because  it  costs 
more  to  live  there.  Mr.  Hoge,  of  McCook,  asked 
why  the  company  refused  to  pay  as  much  in  Nebraska 
as  they  do  in  Illinois,  and  Mr.  Potter  had  to  acknowl- 
edge a  strong  point  made  against  him.  He  was  not 
practicing  what  he  preached.  The  committee  had  the 
schedule  with  them  which  they  had  consumed  so  much 
time  in  preparing,  but  they  thought  best  not  to  pre- 
sent it  unless  Mr.  Potter  would  consent  to  treat  with 
all  concerned.  Mr.  Potter  asked  if  the  plan  of  sched- 
ule which  we  had  made  out,  contemplated  the  abolition 
of  classification,  and  he  was  aswered  by  the  chairman, 

1  Minutes  of  General  Grievance  Committee. 


THE    COUNCIL    OF    WAR.  69 

Mr.  Porter,  that  it  did.     Mr.  Potter  called  it  apprentice 

pay- 
it  will  be  remembered  that  the  committee  of  1876 

asked  that  apprentice  pay  be  restored,  and  classifica- 
tion done  away  with.  Apprenticeship,  as  practiced 
by  all  trades,  has  in  it  the  principle  of  equity,  the  con- 
ditions being  fixed  by  common  consent,  while  classifi- 
cation represents  the  power  to  fix  conditions  without 
regard  to  equity.1  The  committee  told  Mr.  Potter  of 
many  of  the  evils  of  classification  and  its  abuses  by  lo- 
cal officers,  and  Mr.  Potter  said :  "  Officers,  a  good 
many  times,  make  mistakes  and  do  things  they  had  not 
ought  to  do."  Yet  he  could  not  make  that  change, 
and  said:  "Fancy  pay  is  the  cause  of  so  many  roads 
going  into  the  hands  of  a  receiver."  The  Burlington 
company  had  been  selling  rebate  tickets,  from  Kansas 
City  to  Chicago,  which,  after  the  rebate  was  paid,  left 
the  company  50  cents  each.  The  committee  asked 
Mr.  Potter  whether  this  did  not  conduce  to  more  re- 
ceivers than  any  kind  of  pay.2  Mr.  Potter  said:  "  Offi- 
cials get  mad  as  well  as  any  body,  and  do  foolish  things, 
which  to  us,  is  only  a  strike  of  one  capital  against  an- 
other. They  do  not  think  that  they  get  their  propor- 
tion of  the  pool."  Where  then,  was  Mr.  Potter's  prin- 
ciple of  supply  and  demand  ?  The  meeting  closed  at 
noon  to  convene  at  2  :30  p.  m.  Mr.  Potter  said  he  did 
not  think  he  could  consider  classification  on  the  leased 
lines,  and  closed  by  asking :  "  Now  your  demands  are, 
an  equalization  of  pay,  and  doing  away  with  classifica- 
tion." 

1  Order  of  Oct.  10,  1876.         -  Quotation  of  a  member  of  Committee. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

SKIRMISHING    FOR    POSITION. 

Promptly  at  2:30  p.  m.,  all  parties  being  present,  the 
discussion  was  continued,  Mr.  Potter  taking  positive 
ground  upon  the  two  points  of  his  last*  question  at  the 
adjournment  of  the  previous  meetings — equalization  of 
pay,  and  classification.  He  did  not  try  to  defend  the 
justice  of  the  position,  but  knew  the  financial  advan- 
tages and  considered  them  of  great  importance.  The 
committee  contended  for  the  justice  of  their  position 
with  pertinacity,  and  knowing  all  the  evils  of  the  law 
and  the  abuses  by  the  local  officers  in  its  application, 
had  Mr.  Potter  in  deep  water  as  far  as  argument  went.1 
He  asked  whether  the  committee  had  come  with  a 
positive  ultimatum.  The  chairman  answered :  "  We 
onlv  ask  justice,  and  where  injustice  can  be  shown  in 
our  proposition,  concessions  will  be  readily  made." 

After  a  silence  of  considerable  length  Mr.  Potter 
asked  if  the  committee  expected  to  have  uniform  pay 
if  the  Company  abandons  classification,  and  he  was 
answered,  "Yes."  Mr.  Potter  said,  "  I  only  asked  the 
question  to  see  how  far  apart  we  are."  He  contended 
that  the  financial  condition  of  the  Company  would  not 
admit  of  such  changes,  and  consequent  increase  in  ex- 
penses. One  of  the  Committee  produced  the  annual 
financial  statement  of  the  Company,  showing  they  had 
collected  "$26,172,819.54,  and  had  a  net  income 
over  operating   expenses    of   $1 2,845,786.43." 2     Mr. 

1  See  chapter  on  classification.       -  Railroad  and  Warehouse  Commissioners,  111. 


SKIRMISHING    FOR    POSITION.  7 1 

Potter  knew  that  the  Burlington  was  one  of  the  best 
dividend-paying  roads  in  the  country. 

The  Committee  had  been  away  from  their  homes 
thirty  days,  and  were  anxious  to  come  to  some  kind  of 
an  understanding.  They  had  discussed  the  matter  and 
concluded  to  divide  the  difference  on  classification; 
the  men  to  give  one  year  and  the  company  one  year, 
the  one  year  based  on  second  year  pay.  Mr.  Potter 
was  not  inclined  to  compromise.  The  pay  of  the  fire- 
men was  discussed,  and  Mr.  Potter  asked  what  they 
wanted.  The  Committee  told  him,  55  per  cent  of  the 
engineer's  pay,  and  only  one  year  of  apprentice  pay. 
Mr.  Potter  finally  concluded  to  take  the  whole  matter 
home  and  deliberate  on  its  merits.  The  schedule  had 
not  been  given  to  him  because  he  had  positively  re- 
fused to  consider  the  Burlington  &  Missouri,  and  other 
leased  lines.  But  his  expressed  willingness  to  take  up 
the  whole  subject  was  what  the  committee  wanted,  and 
he  was  then  presented  with  the  schedule.  When  this 
was  given  him  he  observed  that  he  had  expected  the 
papers  to  be  presented  before,  but  he  concluded  he 
would  not  ask  for  them.  He  then  proposed  they  ad- 
journ until  10:30  a.  m.  Sunday,  which  was  agreed  to. 

At  the  appointed  time,  Mr.  Potter  opened  the  dis- 
cussion by  saying  that  he  did  not  want  to  abolish  clas- 
sification, or  establish  a  uniform  rate  of  pay,  and  he 
made  this  proposition:  To  call  all  the  local  officers  in 
and  go  over  the  grounds  of  complaint.  To  which  the 
chairman  of  the  committee  replied :  "  That  might 
benefit  a  few,  but  would  give  us  no  rules  to  control 
the  future.  Local  officers  could  change  the  conditions 
again  to  suit  themselves,  and  we  should  be  left  just 


72  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

where  we  started."  Mr.  Potter  said:  "You  are  the 
judge  on  one  side,  and  I  am  the  judge  on  the  other.  I 
cannot  concede  the  two  main  points,  as  it  is  against 
my  principles,  which  are  based  on  the  laws  of  supply 
and  demand." 

The  Committee  having  conceded  all  that  was  con- 
sistent with  their  instruction  from  the  men  they  repre- 
sented, told  Mr.  Potter  thev  would  have  to  send  for 
their  Grand  Chief  Engineer,  P.  M.  Arthur,  the  chair- 
man stating  that  though  Mr.  Potter  conceded  one  year 
of  classification,  we  are  no  nearer  a  settlement.  Your 
whole  line  is  closed  against  employment  for  engineers, 
in  consequence  of  this  law.1  It  was  evident  Mr.  Pot- 
ter did  not  want  a  strike  on  his  hands — he  had  too  much 
business  sagacity  for  that — yet  he  did  not  propose  to 
give  anything  he  was  not  compelled  to  give  to  prevent 
it.  He  said  he  did  not  like  the  idea  of  signing  any 
agreement;  "  That  is  too  much  like  giving  the  road  over 
to  the  men  to  run."  He  objected  to  having  Mr. 
Arthur,  but  finally  consented  to  meet  him.  Then  the 
committee  retired  and  sent  for  Mr.  Arthur,  and  he 
arrived  on  Monday  morning. 

1  Minutes  of  General  Grievance  Committee. 


A.    R.    CAVNER,    S.    G.    A.    E. 

CHAIRMAN    COMMITTEE    OF    NINE. 


THfc  i 
OF  THE 
UNIVERSITY  QF  ILLINOIS 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

THE  TREATY  OF  PEACE  OF  l886. 

After  meeting  with  the  committee  and  advising 
moderation,  Mr.  Arthur  and  the  chairman  went  to 
Mr.  Potter's  office,  to  arrange  for  a  meeting,  which 
was  appointed  for  2  =30  p.  m.  On  the  arrival  of  the 
committee  at  the  Burlington  offices,  Mr.  Arthur  and 
the  chairman  again  went  into  Mr.  Potter's  office. 
Whether  Mr.  Potter  had  changed  his  mind,  or  had 
adopted  a  new  role  was  not  known,  but  he  had  conclud- 
ed not  to  see  the  committee,  saying  it  would  do  no 
good.  However,  he  finally  consented  when  the  sched- 
ule was  presented  by  Mr.  Arthur,  with  the  classification 
left  out  by  the  advice  of  the  Grand  Chief  Engineer. 
This  left  only  a  uniform  schedule  of  pay,  and  laws  to 
govern  subordinate  officers.  Still,  with  all  the  conces- 
sions that  had  been  made  by  the  committee,  they 
seemed  no  nearer  a  settlement  than  at  the  first  meet- 
ing. Mr.  Potter  said  he  would  not  adopt  a  uniform 
schedule,  when  Mr.  Arthur  said :  "  As  you  will  do 
nothing,  it  is  left  with  the  men  to  say  what  thev  will 
do.  As  grand  chief,  I  cannot  make  them  strike,  but 
when  my  consent  is  given,  it  carries  with  it  the  consent 
of  the  Brotherhood  of  Locomotive  Engineers  of  the 
whole  United  States,  Canada  and  Mexico."  Mr.  Pot- 
ter said:  "  Then  they  will  strike  if  you  give  vour  con- 
sent?" Mr.  Arthur  answered:  '-Mr.  Potter,  you 
have  had  your  own  way  so  long,  you  think  you  must 
6 


74  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

have  it  always.  Now  I  will  sanction  a  strike,  and  if 
you  can  hire  men  to  run  your  engines  you  can  do  so, 
but  the  Brotherhood  of  Locomotive  Engineers  can  pay 
as  much  to  hire  them  not  to  run  them."  Mr.  Potter 
evidently  did  not  like  this  picture,  and  said  he  would 
submit  a  proposition,  but  he  would  want  ten  days. 
Mr.  Arthur  asked  each  one  of  the  committee  if  he 
would  grant  the  time,  and  each  answered  "No."  It 
was  evident  to  the  committee  that  negotiations  had 
come  to  an  end,  and  all,  including  Mr.  Potter,  arose, 
taking  their  hats,  when  Mr.  Potter  said :  "  I  have  talked 
with  the  stockholders,  and  they  say  we  cannot  accept 
your  schedule,  because  it  would  allow  labor  to  dictate 
to  capital."  Then  said  Mr.  Arthur,  "I  will  give  you 
forty-eight  hours  to  make  a  proposition  to  us,  and  if 
reasonable  we  will  accept  it.  That  "will  give  you  a 
ladder  on  which  you  can  come  down  from  your  auto- 
cratic position."  Mr .  Potter  said  he  could  not  do  it 
in  that  time.  He  would  have  to  call  in  all  the  officers, 
as  he  did  not  know  enough  about  each  run  to  make  a 
schedule  himself.  Mr.  Arthur  said:  "  If  you  had  any 
proposition  to  make  you  could  have  made  it  long  ago. 
You  have  kept  these  men  waiting  around  here  for 
twenty  days,  without  any  good  reason,  but  to  be  fair 
with  you  we  will  give  you  until  Friday."  Mr.  Potter 
said  he  could  be  ready  on  Thursday,  at  2 :30  p.  m.  He 
had  made  his  point  of  not  accepting  any  proposed 
change  as  dictated  by  labor,  but  to  prevent  finan- 
cial disasters,  which  he  knew  would  be  the  inevit- 
able result  of  a  strike,  he  had  allowed,  his  autocratic 
position  to  become  badly  undermined  and  had  consent- 
ed to  have  changes  made  in  both  rules  and  pay,  and 


THE    TREATY    OF    PEACE    OF    1 886.  75 

had  signed  them.  Immediately  after  the  close  of  this 
meeting,  orders  were  sent  in  every  direction  for  the 
superintendents  and  the  master  mechanics  of  all  divis- 
ions, to  come  to  Chicago  for  this  conference.  On  their 
arrival,  Mr.  Potter  set  them  at  work,  fixing  up  a  prop- 
osition to  present  to  the  committee  of  engineers. 

At  the  appointed  time,  on  Thursday,  March  25,  the 
committee  was  notified  that  Mr.  Potter  was  ready  to 
see  them.  The  committeemen  again  wended  their 
way  to  the  manager's  office,  with  patience  and  a  strong- 
determination  to  follow  the  usual  conservative  course 
of  the  Brotherhood.  Yet  they  were  resolved,  if  pos- 
sible, to  secure  some  kind  of  an  agreement  signed  bv 
the  general  manager,  as  it  would  carry  with  it  a  recog- 
nition of  the  right  of  the  laborer  to  be  a  voluntary  party 
to  any  contract  for  work.  Such  an  agreement  would 
also  be  an  official  recognition  of  the  Brotherhood. 

On  arriving  at  the  Burlington  offices,  the  committee 
was  invited  into  Mr.  Potter's  private  office  on  the 
ground  floor,  and  presented  with  the  result  of  the  lo- 
cal official  deliberation.  It  had  nothing  in  it  to  com- 
mend itself  to  the  committee,  and  it  was  promptly  re- 
jected by  them.  In  Mr.  Potter's  trip  over  the  system, 
he  found  that  95  per  cent  of  the  enginemen  belonged 
to  the  two  Orders,  and  he  was  anxious  to  prevent  an 
issue  with  them.  In  pursuit  of  this  policy,  he  asked  if 
they  would  meet  the  local  officers  of  their  respective 
divisions,  and  take  up  each  run  and  condition  and  see 
if  they  could  not  arrive  at  some  conclusion.  Mr.  Pot- 
ter said  he  was  astonished  at  the  lack  of  ability  of 
some  of  his  local  officers,  and  was  satisfied  they  could 
not  make  a   schedule.     The  committee    consented  to 


76  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

this  and  adjourned  to  meet  them  the  next  morning-. 
On  Friday,  March  26,  the  committee  took  the  ele- 
vator at  the  Burlington  headquarters  and  landed  at 
the  room  which  had  been  previously  used  as  a  meeting 
room,  and  met  their  respective  officials.  After  the 
usual  recognitions  they  proceeded  to  business.  There 
were  two  officers  to  each  grievance  committee- 
man, and  they  divided  off  in  squads  of  three,  and 
took  up  the  home  work.  They  went  over  each  run, 
and  increased  the  pay  very  materially  on  many  of  the 
runs  for  both  engineers  and  firemen,  discussing  delays 
and  other  evil  conditions.  The  consent  of  the  local  offi- 
cials  was  given  very  reluctantly  to  these  changes,  and 
they  should  not,  by  any  means,  be  credited  to  their 
liberality.  Mr.  Potter  knew  it  was  concessions  or  a 
strike,  and  the  officials  were  brought  in  for  the  purpose 
of  making  them.  The  chief  men  delegated  to  their  in- 
feriors the  work  of  making  the  changes,  but  reserved 
the  credit  of  being  magnanimous.  The  committee 
work  not  being  done  at  noon,  the  meeting  adjourned 
until  2 :30  p.  m.,  when  time  would  suffice  for  all  the 
runs  to  be  considered.  The  rules  were  taken  up  and 
an  agreement  was  finally  reached.  The  meeting  ad- 
journed until  Saturday  at  11  o'clock,  to  receive  the  sched- 
ules and  rules  which  were  being  prepared  by  the  Comp- 
any, and  which  would  then  be  signed  by  its  officers. 
We  append  here  a  note  from  Mr.  Potter,  accompany- 
ing the  revised  rules,  to  which  were  added  signatures 
of  the  highest  authority.  The  committeemen  who 
had  been  away  from  their  homes  over  forty  days,  made 
their  preparations  to  return  with  pleasant  anticipations. 


THE    TREATY    OF    PEACE    OF    1 886.  77 

Chicago,  March  25th,  1886. 

J.  C.  Porter,  Esq., 

Chairman  Committee  of  Engineers, 

Chicago. 
Dear  Sir: 

I  hand  you  herewith  changes  in  rate  sched- 
ule and  rules  governing  the  pay  of  engineers  and  fire- 
men, on  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy;  Burling- 
ton &  Missouri,  in  Neb.;  Hannibal  &  St.  Joseph;  Kan- 
sas City,  St.  Joseph  &  Council  Bluffs;  Chicago  &Iowa; 
St.  Louis,  Kansas  &  North-West;  and  Council  Bluffs 
&  Kansas  City  roads. 

The  officers  of  these  roads  have  gone  over  the  rates 
of  pay,  and  recommend  that  these  changes  be  made, 
and  I  approve  of  their  recommendation. 

Yours  Truly, 

(Signed,)         T.  J.  Potter. 

CHANGE  IN  RATE  SCHEDULE  AND  RULES  GOVERNING  THE 

PAY  OF  ENGINEERS  AND  FIREMEN,  TAKING 

EFFECT  APRIL   I,    1 886. 

ARTICLE    I. 

No  engineer  will  be  dismissed  or  suspended  from 
the  service  of  this  Company  without  just  cause. 

Every  engineer  will  be  entitled  to  a  full  and  impar- 
tial hearing  and  investigation  by  the  Superintendent 
and  Master  Mechanic. 

It  is  understood  that  in  ordinary  cases  superinten- 
dents and  master  mechanics  will  not  suspend  engineers 
until  such  cases  have  had  full  investigation. 


*8  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

ARTICLE  II. 

En  o-ineers  delayed  two  (2)  hou*  or  over,  in  start- 
ing  from  or  arriving  at  terminals,  will  be  paid  at  work 
train  rates  per  hour,  for  the  full  delay  less  one  hour. 

The  same  rule  will  apply  in  case  engineers  have 
been  called,  and  afterward,  on  account  of  wreck,  are 
notified  they  are  not  wanted. 

When  delays  of  over  two  (2)  hours  occur  at  any 
one  point  during  a  trip,  on  account  of  no  orders  to  go 
on,  engineers  will  be  paid  at  work  train  rates  per 
hour  for  the  full  delay,  less  one  hour:  but  if  the  delay 

^ccasioned  bv  a  wreck,  washout,  or  other  physical 
cause,  then  engineers  will  be  paid  at    one-half      T. 
work  train  rates  per  hour  for  the  full  delay,  less  one 
hour. 

ARTICLE  III. 

Should  engineers  be  obliged  to  double  hills  on  ac- 
count of  having  more  than  established  rates,  they  will 
receive  pav  for  one  hour's  time,  at  work  train  rates. 

article  rv. 

If  one  or  more  engines  are  coupled  in  with  snow 
plow  engines  for  bucking  snow,  the  engineer  of  each 
engine  will  be  paid  at  one  and  one-half  work  train 
rates :  but  in  no  case  will  the  amount  paid  be  less  than 
regular  freight  rates  for  the  distance  run. 

In  case  an  engineer  called  to  buck  snow  is  held  un- 
der orders,  such  engineer  will  receive  pay  at  work 
train  rates  for  all  time  he  is  so  held. 

article  v. 
Engineers  will  be  called  a  reasonable  time  before 


THE    TREATY    OF    PEACE    OF    1 866.  79 

leavincr  time.  The  caller  will  have  a  book  in  which 
engineers  must  register  their  names  and  hour  when 
called. 

ARTICLE  VI. 

Right  to  regular  runs  when  merit  and  ability  are 
equal  will  be  governed  by  seniority.  Engineers  hav- 
ing had  regular  runs  prior  to  the  date  of  this  circular 
will  not  be  affected  by  this  article. 

ARTICLE  VII. 

No  more  extra  engineers  will  be  assigned  than  is 
necessarv  to  move  the  traffic  with  promptness  and  dis- 
patch, and  should  any  engineer  feel  himself  aggrieved 
bv  the  assignment  of  extra  engineers  he  can  proceed 
as  in  Article  i,  but  will  receive  no  pay  for  loss  of  time. 

article  vni. 
Engineers  dead-heading  on  Company  business,  will 
be  paid  at  the  same  rate  as  on  passenger  runs. 

ARTICLE  IX. 

Xo  fines  will  be  assessed  against  engineers. 

ARTICLE    X. 

Fireman's  pay  will  be  adjusted  in  proportion  to  the 
engineers. 

ARTICLE  XL 

All  officers  will  be  provided  with  copies  of  this  cir- 
cular, which  will  be  kept  posted  in  the  several  engine 
houses. 

Henry  B.  Stone.  G.  W.  Rhodes. 

General  Manager.  Supt.  Motive  Power. 

J.  D.  Besler. 

General  Superintendent. 


8o  THE    BURLINGTONSTRIKE. 

When  the  committee  went  from  Burlington  to  Chi- 
cago, they  paid  their  fare  and  took  receipts  from  the 
conductor.  Mr.  Potter,  of  his  own  motion,  paid  the 
money  back  on  presentation  of  the  receipts  and  gave 
the  men  passes  home.  He  then  told  the  members  of 
the  committee  that  they  had  exceeded  their  leave  of 
absence  and  that  they  should  not  repeat  this.  The 
company  wanted  to  know  where  their  men  were,  and 
when  they  wanted  to  come  again  they  must  notifv 
their  respective  officers  where  they  were  going.  Mr. 
Potter  was  asked  to  make  some  provisions,  whereby 
the  men  could  help  railroad  men  over  the  road,  who 
were  out  of  work ;  men  whom  they  knew  to  belong  to 
either  of  the  Brotherhood  of  Locomotive  Engineers,  or 
Locomotive  Firemen,  but  he  said  he  could  not  do  that 
until  he  had  consulted  with  the  general  managers,  Hol- 
dridge,  of  the  Burlington  &  Missouri; and  Merrill,  of  the 
Kansas  City,  St.  Joseph  &  Council  Bluffs  railroad. 
All  parties  separated  pleasantly,  and  the  men  thought 
they  had  accomplished  very  much,  in  getting  what  they 
supposed  were  rules  under  which  the  local  officers 
would  be  governed.  How7  much  we  were  disap- 
pointed will  be  seen  in  the  following  chapters. 

Securing  recognition  of  the  Brotherhood  from  the 
Burlington  system,  which  always  refused  to  recog- 
nize its  labor  as  having  any  rights  not  voluntarily 
granted  by  the  Burlington  officials,  was  considered  a 
victory.  The  Grand  Chief,  P.  M.  Arthur,  in  acknowr- 
ledging  the  receipt  of  a  group  picture  of  the  griev- 
ance committee,  wrote:  "I  prize  the  picture  highly, 
and  1   will   preserve  it  as   a  memento   of   one   of  the 


THE    TREATY    OF    PEACE    OF    l886.  8l 

greatest  victories  achieved  by  the  Brotherhood.  Please 
accept  niv  heartfelt  thanks." 

(Signed,)     P.  M.  Arthur,    G.  C.  E. 

The  men  all  felt  that  to  secure  written  laws,  to  in- 
sure just  treatment — the  first  of  its  kind  in  existence 
on  the  Burlington — was  a  victory  for  just  principles. 
"  Unfortunately,  injustice  will  always  prevail  this  side 
of  heaven,  and  it  is  the  part  of  wise  men  to  reduce 
that  to  the  smallest  amount  possible,  and  the  surest 
rule  for  its  rapid  diminution  is,  that  each  man  should 
himself  act  justly  toward  all  others.  The  unjust  act 
of  a  corporation  is  made  up  of  unjust  acts  of  the  mem- 
bers, or  directors,  or  managers  of  that  corporation, 
and  it  is  absurd  for  any  man  to  feel  that  he  can  use 
corporate  power  unjustly,  and  shirk  off  from  the  re- 
sponsibility of  such  a  sin."  '  Yet  this  is  done  with  per- 
fect impunity;  and  officers  are  kept  by  corporations, 
who  are  known  as  aggressive  violators  of  all  laws  not 
in  the  interest  of  the  corporation  they  represent,  and 
the  Burlington  was  no  exception. 

"  Elliott  F.  Shepard. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

THE  NEW  TREATY A  ROPE  OF  SAND. 

The  members  of  the  committee  returned  to  their 
respective  divisions  and  met  with  the  local  officers, 
anxious  to  know  whether  the  new  laws  were  under- 
stood and  how  they  were  liked.  The  men  were  satis- 
fied and  everything  moved  off  pleasantly.  The  offi- 
cials however,  smarting  under  the  restraint  of  the  new 
rules,  and  no  doubt  remembering  the  undignified  position 
they  had  been  placed  in  at  the  Chicago  meeting,  com- 
menced immediatelv  devising  means  of  evading  the 
rules  and  construing  them  to  the  greatest  disadvantage 
of  the  men.  Before  the  month  of  April  was  out 
letters  began  to  come  to  the  chairman,  Mr.  Porter, 
entering  complaints  of  the  violation  of  article  n.  Mr. 
Wheatly,  of  Beardstown,  wrote  April  30,  that  "mas- 
ter mechanic  Forsvth  said  if  we  arrive  two  hours  or 
more  late  we  get  nothing  for  it,  and  that  the  men  have 
to  be  held  two  hours  or  over  after  arrival  in  yard  be- 
fore we  get  anvthing  for  it." '  Article  11  was  under- 
stood to  mean  two  hours  over  schedule  time  by  both 
the  committee  and  most  of  the  officers.  They  thor- 
oughly discussed  this  item  and  the  two  clauses,  viz: 
Two  hours  before  starting,  and  the  two  hours  or 
more  waiting.  This  was  contended  for  by  the  commit- 
tee to  prevent  loss  of  time  by  unnecessary  delay.  At 
Council  Bluffs,  the  engineer  was  obliged  to  take  his 
train  from  two  to  three  hours  before  leaving  time,  and 

'  Letter  of  G.  W.  Wheatly. 


THE  NEW  TREATY — A  ROPE  OF  SAM).  83 

go  to  the  union  depot,  a  mile  away,  and  wait  there  un- 
til leaving  time,  without  pay.  Other  roads  have  a  man 
to  do  that  work,  and  the  men  wanted  pay  for  it,  or 
have  some  one  else  do  the  work.  There  was  another 
reason  for  the  needless  loss  of  time;  it  was  branch  runs 
that  went  part  way  on  the  main  line  and  then  on  the  branch 
road,  and  the  trains  would  often  be  held  two  or  three 
hours  waiting  for  orders,  at  the  junction  point;  and 
they  wished  to  effect  a  cure,  as  this  delay  was  unneces- 
sary. The  following  letter  from  McCook  will  show 
what  the  men  had  to  do  for  nothing  before  the  adop- 
tion of  this  rule :  "  We  wait  in  Denver,  for  Denver 
and  Rio  Grande  trains,  from  one  to  eight  hours.  We 
have  to  take  the  train  to  the  depot  ready  to  leave  on 
time.  Now  we  put  in  the  full  delay,  and  the  time- 
keeper deducts  one  hour.  I  waited  six  hours  and  for- 
ty-five minutes  for  No.  2,  put  in  claim  for  seven,  and  got 
allowed  six  hours.  There  has  been  no  complaint  here 
and  all  seem  satisfied. 

S.  E.  Hoge,  of  the  committee. 

The  officers  of  the  Hannibal  &  St.  Joseph  Railroad 
so  understood  it,  and  on  completing  the  arrangements, 
the  time  of  an  extra  train  was  limited  to  the  average 
of  all  freight  trains  on  the  division,  and  the  engine  crew 
was  entitled  to  pay  for  all  time  over  that  schedule,  less 
one  hour,  which  was  always  given  the  company.  But 
the  Hannibal  &  St.  Joseph  and  the  McCook  officials 
were  exceptions,  and  if  all  had  been  like  them,  it  is 
reasonable  to  suppose  that  the  strike  of  1888  would 
not  have  occured. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  the  committee    made   a 


84  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

request  upon  Vice-President  Potter  to  arrange  some 
plan  whereby  the  men  could  render  assistance  to 
engineers  out  of  work,  by  getting  them  passed  over 
the  road,  and  in  answer  to  this  request  the  following 
letter  was  received: 

Chicago,  May  10,  1886. 
J.  C.  Porter,  Esq.,  Engineer, 

Aurora,  111., 

Dear  Sir: 

I  have  taken  considerable  pains  to  talk  with 
our  managers  and  superintendent,  and  also  the  mana- 
gers of  the  Rock  Island,  North-Western,  and  Alton 
roads,  with  reference  to  passing  engineers,  and  it  is  the 
unanimous  opinion  that  we  cannot  adopt  any  whole- 
sale plan  for  passing  one  class  of  our  employes  unless 
we  do  the  same  for  the  others.  What  we  aim  to  do  is 
to  treat  everybody  as  near  alike,  and  as  fair  as  we  pos- 
sibly can.  My  notion  is,  while  I  do  not  say  that  it  will 
be  carried  out,  if  an  engineer  in  good  standing  makes 
a  request  on  his  superintendent  for  passes  for  a  brother 
engineer,  the  chances  are  that  they  will  be  granted. 

I  am  sorry  to  have  delayed  answering  the  committee 
so  long,  but  I  have  been  busy  and  have  just  been  able 
to  get  reply  from  the  Chicago  &  Alton,  dated  the  8th 
inst.  Yours  Truly, 

(Signed,)     T.  J.  Potter. 

The  hint  contained  in  this  letter  was  not  complied 
with  to  any  extent,  and  finally  was  denied  altogether, 
and  tfiey  would  not  grant  a  pass  unless  it  was  request- 
ed by  a  superintendent,  under  whom   the   beneficiary 


THE  NEW  TREATY A  ROPE  OF  SAND.       85 

worked :  so  that  an  engineer  out  of  work  could  not  be 
passed.  These  courtesies  between  engineers  are  shown 
on  nearly  all  roads,  and  the  Burlington  men  on  many 
divisions,  were  soon  retaliated  upon  and  badlv  scored 
by  engineers  employed  on  other  roads,  for  this  lack  of 
courtesy ;  they  were  glad,  when  away  from  home,  to 
be  courteously  carried  themselves,  but  could  not  return 
the  compliment.     It  was  not  permitted. 

The  officials,  in  order  to  understand  how  each  one 
was  doing  in  relation  to  this  matter,  held  a  meeting  at 
Burlington.  The  superintendent  of  one  of  the  divis- 
ions told  me  '  that  at  one  of  these  meetings  all  the  offi- 
cials said  they  were  giving  no  passes  for  this  purpose. 
But  he  '  did  give  some,  and  gave  me  one  at  that  time, 
but  very  reluctantly.  Another  object  of  the  meeting 
was  to  discuss  the  best  means  of  defeating  the  intent 
and  purpose  of  the  recently  enacted  rules,  and  thev 
succeeded  remarkably,  both  in  that,  and  in  creating  a 
deep  feeling  of  animosity  between  local  officials  and 
the  men. 

On  May  19,  1886,  the  second  letter  was  received 
from  Beardstown,  stating  that  Mr.  Forsyth,  the  master 
mechanic,  claims  that  unless  the  men  are  held  two 
hours  on  their  engines  after  arriving  at  a  terminal 
point,  they  are  not  entitled  to  any  delayed  time,  and  the 
chairman  is  requested  to  come  to  Beardstown  and  have 
him  understand  it  as  we  all  do.  On  the  25th  of  May 
another  letter  was  received  which  said:  "I  was  kept 
on  the  road  three  hours  and  twentv  minutes  more  than 
schedule  time  and  Mr.  Forsvth  savs  I  am  not  entitled 
to  any  delayed  time.  How  is  this?  C.  H.  B.",  It 
was   understood   at   the   meeting  that  if  you  were  de- 

I  The  compiler.         -'  The  name  can  be  given  to  any  whom  it  may  concern. 


86  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

layed  two  or  more  hours  in  starting,  the  company  got 
the  first  hour  without  pay,  and  the  men  were  to  be 
paid  after  the  first  hour.  If  the  train  left  on  time  and 
arrived  two  or  more  hours  late,  the  company  got  the 
first  hour  and  the  men  were  paid  for  the  balance,  the 
company  always  getting  an  hour's  work  for  nothing. 

On  May  29,  the  chairman,  J.  C.  Porter,  received  the 
following  letter  from  the  superintendent  of  motive 
power : 

J.  C.  Porter: 

I  have  not  yet  sent  you  any  understand- 
ing in  regard  to  Article  11,  which  we  talked  over  the 
other  day.  In  discussing  the  matter  with  some  of  our 
master  mechanics,  I  am  not  sure  but  that  we  may  both 
be  mistaken  in  regard  to  Mr.  Stone's  construction  of 
this  rule ;  I  therefore  will  get  Mr.  Besler's  approval  be- 
fore I  submit  you  anything. 

G.  W.  Rhodes. 

After  Mr.  Rhodes  obtained  the  manager's  under- 
standing of  Article  11,  the  following  letter  was  written 
and  sent  to  Chairman  Porter,  at  Aurora,  and  A.  For- 
syth, master  mechanic  at  Beardstown,  111. : 

Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  R.  R.  Co. 

Office  Supt.  Locomotive  and  Car  Dept. 

Aurora,  111.,  June  9,  1886- 

A.  Forsyth,  Master  Mechanic, 

Beardstown. 
Dear  Sir: 

Replying  to  yours  of  the  4th  inst.,  in  re- 
gard to  the  meaning  of  Article  11,  of  rules  governing 


THE  NEW  TREATY A  ROPE  OF  SAND        87 

the  pay  of  engineers  and  firemen.  The  easiest  way  to 
understand  this  rule  is  to  interpret  it  as  meaning  just  ex- 
actly what  it  says,  i.  e.,  in  clause  i,  engineers  delayed 
over  two  hours  in  starting  from  a  terminal,  will  be  paid 
for  the  full  delay,  less  one  hour.  This  is  perf ectly  plain . 
It  does  not  say  anything  about  what  should  be  done  in 
case  a  quick  run  was  made  afterwards,  so  that  there 
was  really  no  delay  at  all;  the  fact  remains  the  same 
that  there  was  a  delay  at  starting,  and  therefore  it  is  to 
be  paid  for.  The  same  in  regard  to  after  arriving  at 
a  terminal.  Supposing  a  train  arrives  six  hours  late  at 
a  terminal,  and  is  taken  care  of.  There  is  no  delay  in 
this  case  after  arriving,  and  there  will  be  no  pay  al- 
lowed for  it.  It  does  not  matter  whether  a  train  ar- 
rives ahead  of  time  or  late ;  if  there  is  over  two  hours 
delay  after  arriving,  engineers  and  firemen  will  be  paid 
for  the  full  delay,  less  one  hour. 

The  second  paragraph  needs  no  comment.  The 
third  paragraph  is  also  plain  in  view  of  what  has  pre- 
ceded. Under  this  paragraph,  delays  are  paid  which 
produce  delays  arriving  at  terminals,  or  have  any  con- 
nection with  those  after  arriving. 

(Signed)    G.  W.  Rhodes, 

Supt.  Motive  Powt-r. 

It  will  be  seen  by  this  construction  that  no  delays 
were  paid  for,  unless  they  were  held  two  hours  or 
more  in  one  place.  It  is  no  uncommon  occurrence,  for 
what  is  termed  a  local  freight,  to  start  out  on  time, 
when  the  business  of  the  company  would  require  thirty 
minutes  to  an  hour  and  a  half  at  each  station,  with 
probably  .twenty  stations  on  the  run,  and  they  arrive 


88  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

eight  or  ten  hours  late,  they  get  nothing  for  the  over 
time.  It  should  be  remembered,  in  this  discussion  of 
pay,  that  the  engineers — though  they  must  hold  them- 
selves in  readiness  at  all  times,  to  be  called  when 
wanted; — receive  nothing  only  for  actual  work 
performed;  you  must  not  absent  yourself  without 
permission,  though  you  may  not  be  called  for  a  week 
or  a  month,  and  you  will  get  nothing  for  the  month  in 
which  you  waited.  The  number  of  engine  men  on  the 
rolls  of  a  company,  makes  no  difference  with  the  com- 
pany's expenses.  To  make  this  plain  I  here  quote 
from  the  Burlington  book  of  rules: 

rule  185. 

"  Every  person  employed  by  the  Company  must  de- 
vote himself  exclusively  to  its  service,  and  must  not 
connect  himself  directly  or  indirectly  with  any  other 
trade  or  business,  without  permission  from  the  General 
Manager." 

rule  188. 

Every  employe  will  be  liable  to  suspension  from 
duty,  and  dismissal  for  disobedience  of  orders,  negli- 
gence, misconduct,  or  incompetency,  and  to  immediate 
dismissal  without  cause  assigned.  The  pay  of  every 
employe  suspended  from  duty  will  be  stopped  during 
such  suspension. 

rule  189. 

No  employe  is  allowed  under  any  circumstances,  to 
absent  himself  from  duty  without  permission  from  the 
officer  at    the    head    of    his    department.     In  case  of 


geo.  watt. 

KILLED    AT    BKOOKFIELD,    MO.,    MARCH    .;,    I  !S?. 


THE  NEW  TREATY A  ROPE  OF  SAND.        89 

sickness,  immediate  notice  must  be  given'  to  his  supe- 
rior officer.  The  pay  of  employes,  absent  on  account  of 
sickness,  or  with  permission,  will  be  stopped  during 
the  period  of  such  absence,  unless  otherwise  directed 
by  competent  authority. 

The  report  of  labor  statistics  of  Michigan,  1886, 
says:  "Of  1858  men  employed  on  twenty-four  railroads, 
agents  average  $47.10  per  month;  brakemen  $47.64; 
conductors  $74.97;  engineers  $85;  firemen  $45;  and 
laborers  $32.52.  After  the  trip  is  performed,  which 
is  paid  for,  the  engineer  is  expected  to  go  to  the  round- 
house, and  thoroughly  inspect  and  take  care  of  his  en- 
gine, wedges,  and  rods,  and  do  packing  etc. ;  and  the 
firemen  has  to  go  and  clean  his  engine,  which  is  no 
trifle,  and  this  without  remuneration.  It  is  reasonable 
that  when  the  company  assigns  men  to  duty,  they  ought 
to  be  willing  to  pay  for  what  time  is  consumed  in  work 
ordered  to  be  done." 

On  the  other  hand,  the  management  has  the  skill  to 
keep  men  waiting  for  work,  and  if  the  business  runs 
low,  the  loss  is  assessed  more  on  labor,  in  proportion, 
than  on  capital.  This  need  not  be  so,  and  it  ought  not 
to  be;  but  it  has  to  be  so  according  to  the  Burlington 
system  of  economy.  For  example :  In  a  time  of  dull 
business,  a  man  will  be  out  on  a  trip.  He  is  paid  for 
going,  and  when  he  comes  back  he  will  be  paid  for 
the  return  trip  also.  But  he  may  be  obliged  to  wait 
at  the  other  end  of  the  road  three  days,  for  a  train  to  re- 
turn with,  and  all  that  time  without  pay  and  on  expense, 
taking  five  days  to  make  two,  and  all  this  time  sub- 
ject to  call  and  liable  to  dismissal  if  not  found  when 
7 


QO  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

wanted.  Then  again  the  men  are  sometimes  worked 
beyond  endurance,  at  so  much  per  trip,  which  brings 
large  salaries,  and  these  are  always  quoted  by  the  offi- 
cials, yet  the  average  is  not  large. 

But  the  screws  of  capital  were  always  tightened, 
never  loosened,  and  the  officials  of  the  Burlington, 
seemingly  forgetful  of  the  obligation  implied  in  the 
signature  of  Vice-President  and  General  Manager,  T. 
J.  Potter,  studied  not  to  live  up  to  the  intent  and  pur- 
pose of  the  settlement,  but  entered  into  a  strife 
among  themselves  to  see  who  could  outdo  the  other, 
in  violating  the  most,  and  paying  the  least  for  delayed 
time,  and  most  intercept  other  benefits  to  the  men  pro- 
vided for  in  the  rules.  Master  Mechanic  West,  of 
Burlington,  would  not  allow  the  delay  unless  it  was 
over  two  hours,  and  would  not  take  the  engineer's 
statement,  but  would  ask  the  station  agent  where  the 
delay  occurred.  The  conductor,  after  the  train  is 
stopped,  usually  does  what  work  there  is  to  be  done 
first,  before  he  goes  to  the  office,  perhaps  fifteen  or 
twenty  minutes  after  arrival.  He  then  goes  to  the 
office,  and  failing  to  get  orders  to  proceed,  waits  one 
hour  and  fifty  minutes,  making  two  hours  and  ten 
minutes.  But  Mr.  West  would  not  allow  it,  because 
the  conductor's  report  did  not  show  it,  doing  both  an 
injustice  in  not  allowing  the  time,  according  to  the  con- 
struction of  the  rule,  and  casting  a  reflection  upon  the 
honesty  of  the  engineer. 

A  wreck  occured  at  Riverside,  twelve  miles  out  of 
Chicago,  and  Geo.  Minot,  an  engineer,  left  Aurora  with 
a  passenger  train  for  Chicago.  At  Hinsdale,  twenty 
miles  out,  he  was  stopped  for  one  hour  and  fifty-five 


THE  NEW  TREATY A  ROPE  OF  SAND.       QI 

minutes.  He  then  received  orders  to  run  to  Stone  Ave- 
nue, and  there  he  waited  for  orders  one  hour  and  fifty 
minutes,  and  then  he  was  ordered  to  run  to  Riverside, 
where  the  wreck  occurred,  and  waited  there  for  the  track 
to  be  cleared  one  hour  and  ten  minutes,  making  four 
hours  and  fifteen  minutes  delay.  Mr.  Minot  made  the 
claim  for  this  time  which  was  returned  to  him  as  not 
allowed.  On  meeting  Mr.  Johnson,  the  master  me- 
chanic, he  said:  "We  were  a  little  too  smart  for  you, 
weren't  we?  We  have  instructed  the  dispatchers  so 
that  there  will  be  no  delayed  time."  Mr.  N.  J.  Para- 
dise, master  mechanic  of  the  Hannibal  &  St.  Joseph  R. 
R.  was  present  and  Mr.  Minot  stated  the  case  to  him, 
and  he  said :  "Yes,  you  are  surely  entitled  to  all  the  time, 
less  one  hour."  Mr.  Johnson  did  not  agree  with  Mr. 
Paradise  and  said,  "It  would  not  be  allowed,  and  did 
not  want  any  more  such  reports  put  in."  This  is  the 
same  Mr.  Johnson  who  served  on  the  grievance  commit- 
tee in  1873,  as  a  member  of  the  Brotherhood  of  Loco- 
motive Engineers,  and  is  said  to  have  stated  to  Mr. 
Harris  he  would  never  trouble  him  again  with  any 
grievance. 

There  is  a  long  yard  at  Creston,  Iowa,  and  to  defeat 
the  object  of  the  delayed  time  rule,  the  officers  cut  the 
yard  in  two,  making  it  East  and  West  Creston,  and  if 
the  yard  was  blocked  so  the  enginemen  could  not  get 
out  of  the  yard,  or  get  their  engines  to  the  roundhouse, 
the  officials  would  move  them  from  one  end  of  the 
yard  to  the  other,  and  then  claim  they  were  not  entitled 
to  delayed  time  because  they  were  not  in  one  place 
two  hours  or  more.  It  was  not  so  much  the  money 
the  men  cared  about,  as  there  is  nothing  so  aggravat- 


92  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

ing  to  a  railroad  man  as  delays,  and  they  wanted  them 
cured.  How  were  these  things  to  be  met  ?  To  denounce 
them  would  not  alter  their  condition.  Denunciations  nev- 
er accomplish  much,  and  in  the  present  case  the  v  would 
amount  to  nothing.  Each  officer  falls  back  behind  his 
superior,  when  cornered,  and  says  "It  is  not  I,"  and  no 
one  individual  can  find  the  responsible  part}'.  A  un- 
ion of  action  became  necessary.  A  power  that  dared 
to  measure  swords,  even  with  a  railroad  corporation, 
was  a  necessity.  The  laws  violated  as  they  were  did  not 
effect  any  cure  and  the  officials'  conduct  incensed 
the  men  greatly.  The  good  feeling  caused  by  the 
settlement  was  fast  disappearing,  and  animosity  toward 
a  company  that  would  allow  such  practices  by  its  offi- 
cials, took  its  place 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

CLASSIFICATION. 

The  animosity  against  the  Burlington  management 
was  not  confined  to  the  Burlington  employes  entirely. 
It  will  be  remembered  that  this  road  was  classified  by  the 
order  of  Oct.  10,  1876,'  and  the  gates  of  employment 
were,  from  that  time  on,  gradually  closed  until  1886. 
No  engineers  were  hired  if  it  could  possibly  be  helped. 
Six  thousand  miles  of  road  were  locked  against  all 
comers  seeking  that  kind  of  work,  and  the  firemen's 
places  held  for  these  men  only  who  were  of  age,  and 
not  over  26.  The  Burlington  was  not  alone  in  work- 
ing into  this  channel  of  creating  a  supply  and  dimin- 
ishing the  demand.  The  enginemen  throughout  the 
continent  saw  in  this  classification  the  formation  of  a 
trust,  or  combine,  that  forshadowed  a  future  which 
had  in  it  the  learning  of  a  new  business,  or  no  occupa- 
tion and  poverty. 

The  Burlington  is  the  best  illustration  of  the  evils  of 
the  classification  system,  which  is  practiced  more 
or  less  throughout  the  country,  it  being  the  long- 
est line  with  its  doors  absolutely  closed  to  apply- 
ing engineers.  Such  an  immense  road,  traversing  the 
states  of  Illinois,  Iowa,  Missouri,  Kansas,  Nebraska, 
and  Colorado,  and  still  stretching  its  lono;  arms  out  to 
grasp  more  territory;  and  along  the  whole  vast  dis- 
tance, "  No  engineer  need  apply  !  " 

The  men  who  supply  this  department  are  first  hired 

1  See  page  36. 


94  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

as  wipers  in  roundhouses,  and  helpers,  and  are  event- 
ually put  to  firing  a  switch  engine,  at  $1.40  per  day, 
then  to  work  on  a  road  engine  as  third-class  firemen 
at  $1.65.  When  they  have  worked  a  year  at  this,  their 
pay  is  advanced  to  $1.85  per  day.  Some  of  the  Bur- 
lington officials  made  the  year  to  include  365  days  of 
actual  work,  if  it  took  a  year  and  a  half  to  do  it. 

When  they  have  worked  out  the  second  year  they 
are  advanced  to  $2.10  per  day,  full  first-class  pay. 
They  will  average  at  least  two  years  at  this,  and  then, 
if  found  qualified,  are  promoted  to  be  third-class  engi- 
neers on  switch  engines,  at  $2.25  per  day.  If  kept  on 
switch  engine  second  year,  $2.50;  third  year,  $2.75 ;  on 
road  engine,  first  year,  $2.50;  second  year,  $3.05;  third 
year,  $3.60;  requiring  from  seven  to  nine  years  to  be- 
come first-class  engineers.  They  are  held  to  a  strict 
account  for  any  violation  of  rules,  the  rules  to  be 
defined  by  the  superintendent,  master  mechanic,  fore- 
man or  train  dispatcher.  Any  one  of  these  can,  by 
complaint,  exercise  an  influence  that  would  make 
holding  one's  position  almost  impossible. 

None  are  infallible,  and  the  best  of  men  are  liable  to 
be  discharged.  If  you  should  be  so  unfortunate  as  to 
have  to  seek  work  elsewhere,  you  start  out,  not  for 
the  Burlington,  for  they  do  not  hire  any.  You  will  make 
application  at  many  places,  where  }rou  will  receive 
the  same  answer:  "We  do  not  hire  any  men;  we  make 
them."  If  you  should  meet  a  master  mechanic  who 
does  want  a  man,  you  will  probably  be  confronted  with 
a  blank  form  of  application  which  you  are  to  fill  out 
and  return  to  him  for  inspection,  of  which  the  follow- 
ing is  a  copy: 


CLASSIFICATION. 

PERSONAL    RECORD 


95 


The  Superintendent  will  require  all  persons,  before  entering  the  service  of  this 
Company,  to  answer  the  following  interrogatories  in  their  own  handwriting.  This 
blank,  when  filled  up  and  signed,  must  be  forwarded  to  the  Superintendent,  with 
any  letters  of  recommendation  such  applicant  may  have,  of  which  a  record  will  be 
made,  and  returned. 

The  applicant  should  fill  and  sign  this  blank  in  duplicate,  and  keep  one  copy 
for  future  reference. 

General  Manager. 


To 

Division  Supt Division. 

i.     Age Married  or  Single 

2.  Birthplace State 

3.  Name  of  Parents,  if  living  ? 

Residence , State 

4.  Name  and  degree  of  nearest  relative,  if  parents  are  dead? 

Residence State 

5.  How  many  years'  experience  in  Railroad  service  ? 

6.  Ever  injured;  if  so,  on  what  road,  and  to  what  extent  ? 


7.  In  what  business  before  entering  Railroad  business  ?. 

At  what  place State 

8.  Name  ALL  roads  on  which  you  have  been  employed- 


Railroad. 

At  what  Sta.  or  Div. 

In  what  Capacity. 

In  what  Year. 

9.     If  you  have  been  employed  before  on  any  Division  of  this  Road,  or 
Branches,  state  which  one,  when  and  in  what  capacity  ? 

10.  On  what  Road  last  employed  ? 

Cause  of  leaving  ? 

11.  Number  of  letters  of  recommendation  enclosed 

12.  How  have  you  been  occupied  since  your  last  employment  terminated? 


This  application  made  by 

(Sign  your  name  in  full,  no  initials) 


Located  at. 


Witness: 


Date. 


.18 


96 


THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 


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After  the  master  mechanic  has  found  out  by  this 
record  whom  you  worked  for  last,  he  will  likely  tell 
you  to  call  again  and  he  will  give  you  an  -answer.  In 
the  mean  time,  he  writes  or  sends  a  telegram  to  the 
officer  who  discharged  you.  If  he  has  no  objection, 
you  will  probably  be  hired  when  you  return,  if  you  can 
pass  the  examination.  But  if  this  officer  written  to, 
holds  any  grudge  against  you,  or  from  any  other  cause 
makes  an  objection,  the  master  mechanic  will  conclude 
he  does  not  want  any  one.  The  Burlington's  rule,  No. 
182  says:  "An  employe  discharged  from  any  depart- 
ment shall  not  be  employed  in  any  other  department 
without  the  consent  of  the  head  of  the  department  from 
which  he  was  discharged."  This  rule  has  been  adopted 
by  different  systems,  each  one  of  which  says:  I  will  not 
hire  a  man  unless  he  comes  recommended  by  the  officer 
who  discharged  him.  If  you  go  to  the  Atchison,  To- 
peka  &  Santa  Fe,  with  its  7000  miles  of  road,  you  can 
only  work  there  by  the  consent  of  the  officer  on   the 


CLASSIFICATION.  97 

Burlington,  if  you  worked  for  the  Burlington  last.  If 
you  go  to  the  Northern  Pacific,  with  its  great  stretch  of 
roads,  you  must  meet  the  same  obstacles.  On  these 
three  systems,  owning  not  less  than  eighteen  thousand 
miles,  the  engineer  who  is  unfortunate  enough  to  have 
been  discharged,  must  submit  his  future  and  that  of 
his  family,  to  the  good  will,  or  the  ill  will  of  one  man, 
viz:  the  officer  who  discharged  him.  If  the  officer  to 
whom  you  apply  persists  in  saying  "  No,"  what  are  you 
going  to  do  about  it  ?  The  liberties  of  laboring  men 
are  in  a  sad  condition  when  the  officials  of  a  corpora- 
tion can  hold  within  their  grasp  the  future  of  the  45,- 
000  people  employed  by  them. 

When  these  45,000  people  undertake  to  cure  this 
injustice,  all  the  Pinkerton  detectives,  deputy  sheriffs 
and  state  militia,  are  called  into  requisition  to  suppress 
them,  as  violators  of  the  law.  If  the  rights  of  labor  were 
as  much  looked  after  and  catered  to,  as  are  the  rights 
of  capital,  the  oppressions  of  corporations  could  not  ex- 
ist. The  engineer  expects  to  be  rigidly  examined  and 
give  references,  but  when  his  recommendation  must 
come  from  one  who  has  discharged  him,  his  chances 
are  decidedly  poor.  What  object  can  these  companies 
have  in  entering  into  such  an  agreement  between  each 
other,  to  so  abridge  individual  liberty  ?  What  do  they 
want  with  this  personal  record  ?  This  death  warrant, 
the  men  call  it.  It  would  do  credit  to  the  genius  of  a 
detective  agency.  It  makes  every  honest  laboring 
man  who  fills  one  out,  feel  as  though  there  was  some- 
thing degrading  in  it,  and  as  though  he  was  to  be 
watched  like  a  criminal.  I  can  see  but  two  reasons — 
the  most  potent  is,  desire  for  cheap  labor;  the  other  is  to 


p8  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

keep  a  supply  in  excess  of  the  demand.  When  they 
cease  hiring,  they  do  not  cease  discharging,  and  the 
natural  consequence  is  an  excess  of  idle  engineers. 

The  companies  assert  that  when  they  promote  a 
man  to  be  an  engineer,  they  are  taking  a  risk,  that 
the  man's  ability  has  not  been  tested.  This  principle 
must  be  conceded  as  right,  and  the  engineers  have  al- 
ways been  willing  to  allow  this  test  for  six  months  or 
one  year  at  reduced  pay.  The  men  promoted  have 
been  on  an  engine  an  average  of  four  years  before 
they  are  tried  with  full  responsibility.  In  other  trades 
a  term  of  three  years  is  considered  time  enough  for  the 
average  man  to  learn  a  trade,  but  the  company  want 
him  to  work  seven  years.  It  will  be  remembered  that 
the  1876  committee  requested  the  company  to  annul 
classification  and  return  to  apprenticeship,  which  paid 
$3  for  first  year  and  then  full  pay.1  Mr.  Potter  was 
asked,  "  If  you  are  obliged  to  assume  a  risk  in  pro- 
moting a  new  man,  why  is  it  you  will  not  hire  a  man 
of  undoubted  ability  and  unquestionable  reference?'' 
Mr.  Potter  replied :  "  We  have  found  we  had  bet- 
ter luck  in  making  engineers  than  in  hiring  them." 
He  also  denied  any  knowledge  of  any  intended  effort 
to  interfere  with  the  engineer's  future.  But  this  is 
hardly  plausible.  Local  officials  are  usually  allowed 
some  privileges  in  selecting  their  employes,  and  if  there 
was  not  a  set  principle  involved,  why  should  they  be 
denied  the  privilege  of  hiring  their  best  friend  in  this 
department  ?  Why  do  they  not  practice  the  same  rule 
with  conductors  ? 

It  is  evident  there  is  an  antagonism  existing  against 
the  engineers'  organization  because  it  has  power  to 

1  See  page  43. 


CLASSIFICATION. 


99 


demand  fixed  and  equitable  conditions.  In  the  classi- 
fication system  there  are  two  motives — one  to  secure 
cheap  engineers  and  firemen  through  the  long  years  of 
preparatory  work;  the  other  to  create  a  surplus  of  men 
by  not  hiring,  so  that  these  unemployed  men  could  be  used 
to  break  down  that  power.  It  became  the  definite  ob- 
ject of  the  engineers  throughout  the  country  to  change 
this  odious  classification  system,  and  at  the  convention 
held  in  October,  at  New  York  City,  laws  were  enacted 
to  govern  their  future  action  in  trying  to  do  away  with 
this  evil.  The  grand  chief,  P.  M.  Arthur,  when 
asked  his  opinion,  said :  "  Apprenticeship  is  a  right  prin- 
ciple, but  when  a  law  is  so  badly  abused  as  this,  I 
know  of  no  way  only  to  do  away  with  it."  Engineers 
have  traveled  thousands  of  miles,  and  wasted  the  sav- 
ings of  years  hunting  work,  and  at  each  place  would 
hear  the  same  old  story,  "  I  make  all  my  engineers." 
The  reader  can  better  imagine  than  I  can  describe, 
the  feelings  of  a  man  who  has  spent  twelve  or  fifteen 
years  of  the  best  part  of  his  life  in  learning  a  business, 
— with  family  responsibilities  upon  him,  too  old  to 
begin  learning  a  new  business,  unable  to  support  his 
family  while  he  tried,  and  not  allowed  to  work  even 
as  fireman,  if  past  the  age  of  twenty-six;  his  whole  fu- 
ture blasted  by  the  system  of  classification. 

As  theBurlington  has  had  the  reputation  of  having 
the  most  unyielding  and  illiberal  management  in  the 
country,  and  being  the  leader  in  the  aggressive  work 
against  organized  labor,  it  naturally  called  forth  like  op- 
position from  its  men,  and  the  strike  of  1888  was  not  in 
its  true  sense,  a  local  strike.  The  Brotherhood,  from 
Maine  to  California,  felt  that  an  aggressive  step  was 


IOO  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

necessary  to  put  a  stop  to  further  encroachments  upon 
their  individual  and  collective  interests. 

In  the  year  1877,  the  Philadelphia  &  Reading  rail- 
road issued  a  circular  letter  to  their  engineers,  de- 
manding their  withdrawal  from  the  Brotherhood,  and 
the  engineers  on  that  road  replied :  "  We  would  do 
violence  and  dishonor  to  an  intelligent  manhood,  were 
we  to  accept  any  thing  less  than  the  withdrawal  of 
said  circular."  The  company  failing  to  withdraw  it, 
the  men  stopped  work  in  a  body. 

On  the  30th  of  July,  1888,  eleven  years  after,  Jacob 
G.  Freas  went  to  the  Reading  officials  and  obtained  a 
letter  recommending  both  his  ability  and  character, 
but  containing  this :  "  He  was  in  the  strike  on  our 
lines  in  '77."  He  had,  like  his  forefathers,  rebelled 
against  encroachments  upon  his  individual  liberties. 
He  traveled  the  country  over,  but  found  none  who 
would  employ  him  because  the  Reading  officials  had 
implied  their  objections.  His  manhood  was  preserved ; 
his  reward  for  its  preservation — poverty;  because  of 
this  unjust  alliance  of  corporate  officials. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

CONSERVATISM. 

The  conduct  of  the  engineers  had  been  extremely 
conservative.  They  had  worked  f aithf ully  forty  days, 
and  spent  $2,906  in  an  effort  to  secure  these  laws; 
had  waited  patiently  for  fifteen  days  for  Mr.  Potter  to 
go  over  the  system  and  rind  out  that  95  per  cent  of 
the  men  belonged  to  the  Brotherhood.  They  were 
conservative  both  in  their  actions  and  teachings.  A 
union  meeting  was  held  at  Kansas  City,  on  July  n. 
The  Kansas  City  "Journal,  a  leading  daily  paper  which 
had  fought  and  defeated  the  Typographical  Union, 
and  was  considered  an  enemy  to  organized  labor, 
printed  the  address  and  commented  as  follows: 

chief  Arthur's  address. 

"  This  morning  we  publish  in  full  the  address  of  Mr. 
P.  M.  Arthur,  chief  of  the  Brotherhood  of  Locomotive 
Engineers  of  North  America,  delivered  at  the  Coates 
opera  house  yesterday  afternoon." 

"  We  thought  the  address  would  be  good,  and  we 
are  not  disappointed.  We  have  no  hesitation  in  saying 
that  we  have  never  seen  a  clearer  and  more  dignified 
statement  of  the  relations  of  labor  to  capital  than  is 
contained  in  this  address.  It  is  an  honest,  manly  state- 
ment, in  which  the  rights  of  honorable  labor  are  as- 
serted and  the  obligations  of  capital  to  labor,  and  labor 
to  capital,  fairly  and  honorably  defined." 


102  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

"  If  the  doctrines  taught  by  Chief  Arthur  are  ob- 
served by  the  organization  he  represents,  the  standard 
of  railroad  management,  in  its  relations  to  its  engineers, 
will  soon  be  lifted  above  the  low  plane  of  suspicion  and 
contention,  and  in  one  respect  at  least  the  equitable  re- 
lations of  capital  and  labor  will  be  maintained.  With 
the  inauguration  of  the  sound  sentiments  expressed  by 
Air.  Arthur,  we  can  justly  commend  organized  labor.'' 

"  The  essence  of  the  whole  question  lies  in  the  ad- 
mirable motto  taken  by  the  Order  of  Locomotive  En- 
gineers at  its  organization:  "Sobriety,  truth,  justice 
and  morality,  "  for  their  rule :  "  Do  unto  others  as  you 
would  have  others  do  unto  you,  and  so  fulfill  the  law." 
These  are  indeed  rules  for  action  which  are  calculated 
to  soften  asperities  in  the  relations  of  man  to  man." 

"Standing  for  the  principles  of  justice  and  right, 
offering  equity  for  equity,  asking  forbearance  and 
granting  forbearance,  demanding  facts  and  presenting 
facts;  these  are  the  forces  which,  backed  by  intelli- 
gence, public  opinion  and  justifiable  firmness,  will  win 
victories  for  labor  and  compel  concessions  from  capi- 
tal." 

"Following  an  insane  attempt  to  cripple  capital,  to 
defy  law  and  harass  society,  this  calm  enunciation  of  a 
safer  and  better  doctrine  is  indeed  encouraging." 

"  «  He  must  be  a  man  of  good  moral  character,  tem- 
perate habits,  be  able  to  read  and  write,  and  have  one 
year's  experience  as  a  locomotive  engineer.  And 
then  he  must  behave  himself  after  he  gets  in,  or  we 
will  put  him  out.'" 

"  Such  are  the  simple  conditions  of  admission  to 
this  body  of  organized  laborers.     There  is  no  oath  that 


CONSERVATISM.  IO3 

conflicts  with  the  laws  of  state  or  nation.  There  is  no 
obligation  that  forces  enmity  of  man  to  man.  No  rules 
for  the  starvation  of  fellowmen." 

"No  wiser  words  were  ever  uttered  in  the  labor 
world  than  the  following:  " 

"  '  We  claim  the  right,  after  exhausting  every  honor- 
able effort,  to  effect  a  settlement.  If  they  ignore  us, 
and  will  not  grant  us  a  hearing,  we  claim  the  right  to 
quit  if  we  want  to  quit,  and  do  quit  in  a  body.  But 
having  quit,  my  friends,  we  do  not  claim  the  right  to 
take  another  man  by  the  throat  and  say:  "Thou  shalt 
not  "  or,  "  Thou  shalt."  That's  the  great  difficulty  and 
the  great  mistake  with  labor  organizations,  and  I  care 
not  by  what  name  they  go.  When  you  attempt  to  use 
force  and  intimidation;  when  you  attempt  by  force  to 
prevent  another  man  from  earning  a  livelihood  for  him- 
self and  family,  you  violate  every  law  of  equity  and 
justice,  and  should  be  punished.'  " 

"  No  labor  organization  can  live  that  does  not  recog- 
nize and  sustain  these  plain  demands  of  justice  and  free- 
dom." 

"We  cannot  at  this  time  allude  to  the  many  admir- 
able points  in  this  labor  organization  as  detailed  by 
Mr.  Arthur,  but  we  commend  the  address  to  the  labor- 
er and  capitalist  alike." 

When  enemies  of  organized  labor  find  nothing  to 
condemn  and  much  to  commend  in  the  Brotherhood, 
it  has  a  right  to  assume  that  its  principles  are  just  and 
equitable.  It  is  beyond  question  that  a  great  majority 
of  the  members  of  the  Brotherhood  of  Locomotive  En- 
gineers are  in  heartv  accord  with  the  principles  enun- 
ciated by  Grand  Chief  Arthur,  and  are  obedient  to  the 


104  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIDE. 

rules  of  their  institution.  That  there  will  be  found 
some  unworthy  and  irresponsible  men  in  every  institu- 
tion is  to  be  expected.  But  that  the  enginemen  have 
been  extremely  free  from  such  characters  is  evidenced 
by  the  diversity  of  commendation  from  men  of  high 
standing,  both  in  and  out  of  the  railroad  service.  We 
add  this,  first  because  we  think  the  enginemen  deserve 
credit  for  conservative  action ;  and  further  it  is  meant 
as  a  timely  caution  to  men  of  labor  organizations  not  to 
be  moved  by  the  treachery  of  bad  men  from  within, 
nor  by  the  craft  of  enemies  from  without. 

These  are  broad  principles,  and  indicate  strongly  a 
disposition  to  meet  on  common  ground,  and  to  deal 
out  justice  while  demanding  it.  The  convention  at 
Chicago  modified  the  classification  law,  so  that  the 
changes  in  this  direction  should  be  voted  upon,  and  the 
committee  was  to  be  governed  by  the  voice  of  all  the 
men  they  represented.  The  Brotherhood  has  been 
accused  of  being  a  one-man  power,  but  a  little  light 
upon  their  principles  is  convincing  that  each  member 
is  a  free  moral  agent  outside  of  the  well-defined  rules 
for  his  moral  conduct.  It  is  true  everywhere,  that 
when  men  have  reached  positions  of  responsibility  and 
of  influence,  by  their  own  individual  merit,  and  have 
conducted  themselves  consistentlv  with  their  rank  and 
station,  that  they  acquire  a  powerful  personal  influence. 
This  was  eminently  true  of  George  Washington  and 
of  Abraham  Lincoln,  and,  in  the  measure  of  ability 
and  of  opportunity,  it  is  true  in  every  variety  of  life. 
It  is  the  very  essence  of  the  Brotherhood  organization 
to  guard  with  jealous  care  the  members'  individual 
rights,    and  those    of   their    associate    workmen.     No 


HERBERT    B.    NEWELL. 


KILLED    AT   GALESBURG,    ILL.,    APRIL   28,    188S. 


TKt  LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  QF  ILLINOIS 


CONSERVATISM. 


105 


Samson  will  ever  be  born  within  their  walls,  or  without, 
who  shall  be  able  to  carry  away  the  gates  of  their 
strength,  while  these  principles  prevail. 

In  October,  1886,  at  the  New  York  convention, 
Chauncey  M.  Depew,  president  of  the  New  York 
Central  railroad,  among  other  things  said :  "  Your  or- 
ganization arose  when  I  first  went  into  railroad  work, 
twent}'r-three  years  ago,  and  I  have  watched  it  care- 
fully ever  since,  and  one  thing  that  impresses  me 
forcibly  is  the  change  in  the  character  of  your  mem- 
bers that  has  taken  place.  The  old  method  called  for 
blasphemy  without  stint  from  the  engineers  as  a  nec- 
essary accompaniment  of  every  duty,  no  matter  how 
trifling.  That  type  of  engineer  is  now  either  dead  or 
converted.  The  proper  thing  to  brace  up  the  nerves 
for  a  trip  was  whiskey,  and  plenty  of  it.  Now,  your 
Order  prohibits  spirituous  liquors,  and  if  one  of  your 
members  is  discharged  for  drunkenness,  no  committee 
of  yours  asks  for  his  reinstatement." 

Gov.  Leon  Abbott,  of  New  Jersey,  in  an  address  at 
the  same  time  and  place  said :  "  You  do  not  rush  into 
unnecessary  strikes  if  a  corporation  will  show  some 
disposition  to  listen  to  your  grievances.  You  believe 
in  arbitration,  and  that  there  are  two  sides  to  every 
question,  and  that  both  employe  and  employer  should 
be  heard  in  every  instance.  I  read  the  four  mottoes  of 
your  organization:  "Sobriety  and  truth,  justice  and 
morality;  defense,  not  defiance,"1  and  I  say  that  so 
long  as  you  are  guided  by  these  mottos,  so  long  will 
your  order  receive,  as  it  does  to-day,  the  approval  and 
hospitality  of  this  mighty  city." 

These  leading  men  are  quoted  because    they   have 

1  "Defense,  not  Defiance."     Added  at  New  York  City,  i836. 


106  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

direct  dealing  with  the  Brotherhoods,  both  of  en- 
gineers and  of  firemen,  and  their  opinion  ought  to 
have  some  weight  in  fixing  in  the  mind  of  the  reader 
the  character  of  the  enginemen  who  are  members  of 
the  Brotherhoods. 

The  Grand  Chief  in  his  address,  said:  "  We  have 
no  sympathy  for,  nor  co-operation  with,  any  class  or 
set  of  men  who  base  their  claims  upon  the  principle 
that  might  makes  right,  and  the  rich  owe  the  poor  a 
living.  No  man  has  a  right  to  anything  which  does 
not  come  to  him  through  the  channel  of  honest  ac- 
quirement." 


CHAPTER  XXL 

MEETING    OF    GRIEVANCE    COMMITTEE. 

The  General  Grievance  Committee  was  called  togeth- 
er at  Aurora,  Feb.  14,  1887.  On  assembling  it  was 
found  that  nearly  all  the  committeemen  were  in  an  ag- 
gressive mood.  Many  of  the  officers  on  the  various 
divisions  of  the  system  instead  of  being  just  and  equita- 
ble, having  stooped  to  absolute  meanness,  in  order  to 
give  vent  to  their  spleen  and  at  the  same  time  put 
more  money  into  the  treasury  of  the  company,  and  so 
curry  favor  with  it  for  themselves.  The  committee 
after  some  deliberation,  sent  its  chairman,  Mr.  Porter, 
and  secretary,  J.  A.  Cuykendall,  to  Chicago,  to  wait  on 
Mr.  Potter,  and  see  if  he  would  not  do  something  to 
compel  the  local  officers  to  live  up  to  the  contract  as 
made.  The  committee  then  adjourned  to  meet  at 
Creston  and  receive  the  report.  The  committee  an- 
ticipated much  from  this  interview,  because  Mr.  Potter 
told  them  when  the  settlement  was  made  that  "  The 
officer  who  conducts  himself  in  such  a  manner  as  to 
bring  the  grievance  committee  to  him  again,  must  be 
ready  with  good  reasons." 

The  chairman  presented  to  Mr.  Potter  the  numer- 
ours  branches  of  the  agreement,  and  the  assumption 
of  authority,  to  make  changes,  and  exercise  a  prerog- 
ative the  laws  were  specially  made  to  cure.  He 
promised  to  more  fully  define  their  duties,  which  he 
did  in  the  following  letters: 


108  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

Chicago,  March  i,  1887. 
J.  C.  Porter,  Esq.,  Engineer, 

Aurora,  111. 
Dear  Sir: 

I  hand  you  herewith  copy  of  letter  that  I 
have  written  all  our  general  managers,  in  regard  to  the 
construction  of  rule  No.  2. 

I  have  also  called  their  attention  to  the  complaints 
that  have  been  made  of  the  violation  of  the  agreement 
entered  into  last  April,  and  said  to  them  all  that  the 
agreement  made  at  that  time  must  be  adhered  to  by 
all.  Yours  Truly, 

(Signed)     T.  J.  Potter. 

Chicago,  March  1,  1887. 
Dear  Sir: 

I  have  had  some  talk  with  a  committee  of  en- 
gineers with  reference  to  the  way  rule  2  has  been  inter- 
preted. I  want  it  construed  from  March  1,  1887,  to 
mean,  that  if  an  engineer  is  delayed  two  hours  or  more 
that  he  will  be  paid  for  the  full  delay  less  one  hour,  that 
is  to  say,  if  he  is  delayed  two  hours  he  will  be  paid  for 
one  hour  at  the  rates  prescribed  by  article  2. 

Yours  Truly, 

(Signed)     T.  J.  Potter. 

Mr.  Potter  was  contemplating  leaving  the  Burling- 
ton for  the  Union  Pacific,  and  did  not  give  it  the  at- 
tention he  undoubtedly  would,  had  he  intended  to  stay. 
The  Creston  yard  difficulty  remained  until  in  May,  1887, 
when  the  chairman  of  the  Grievance  Committee  was 
called  there  to  see  if  he  could  not  effect  a  cure.  Gen- 
eral Superintedent  Brown,  of  the  Iowa  lines,  as  welt 


MEETING    OF    GRIEVANCE    COMMITTEE.  IO9 

as  Division  Superintendent  Duggan,  denied  hav- 
ing the  authority,  claiming  that  it  was  done  by  their 
superiors  in  office,  and  the  chairman  went  to  Mr.  Bes- 
ler,  general  superintendent  of  the  Burlington,  and  he 
ordered  the  two  yards  to  be  put  back  into  one- 
When  we  consider  that  these  officers  had  no  financial 
interest  involved,  other  than  their  salary,  and  that  they 
were  themselves  employes,  it  is  a  queer  commentary 
upon  human  kindness  and  the  integrity  of  man,  to  re- 
cord such  violations  of  both  these  qualities. 

General  Manager  Potter  was  a  self-made  man,  com- 
ing from  the  foot  of  the  ladder.  He  was  not  in  the  least 
austere  or  position-proud  in  his  deportment.  With  a 
remarkable  memory  for  names  and  faces,  and  with  un- 
usual readiness  saying  something  pleasant  to 
every  one,  he  was  esteemed  by  all  classes.  It-is 
reasonable  to  believe  that  if  left  to  his  own  inclination, 
he  would  have  done  more  to  protect  the  laborer  from 
the  evil  conditions  imposed  by  local  officers.  Wheth- 
er the  order  to  discharge  Chairman  Fisher  and  Com- 
mitteeman  Calkins  of  the  1883  committee,  emanated 
from  Mr.  Potter,  or  from  the  president  of  the  company 
is  not  known.1  Superintendent  Thompson,  of  the 
Burlington  &  Missouri  division,  undertook  to  prevent 
the  organization  of  a  brakeman's  lodge,  and  to  accom- 
plish it,  he  commenced  the  wholesale  discharge  of  the 
men.  Mr.  Wilkinson,  Grand  Master  of  the  Brother- 
hood of  Railroad  Brakemen,  went  to  Mr.  Potter  and 
asked  his  intercession,  which  Mr.  Potter  readily  re- 
sponded to,  and  gave  Mr.  Thompson  to  understand 
that  he  must  stop  such  petty  tyrany,  and  not  discrimi- 
nate against  Brotherhood  men.     After  that  time  they 

1  See  page  55. 


IIO  THE  BURLINGTON  STRIKE. 

were  not  annoyed  by  him,  but  a  part  of  the  settlement 
was  that  there  should  not  be  anything  said  about  it. 
This  does  not  look  as  though  he  was  at  all  times  man- 
aging in  accordance  with  his  own  inclinations.     Yet 
it  is  highly  commendable  in  Mr.  Potter,  as  it  shows 
the  right  disposition.     But  it   contains  proof  that  he 
was  not,  in  all  things,  a  free  agent  in  the  management 
of  the  Burlington,  but  was  controlled  in  his  administra- 
tion by  the  men  of  the  Boston  idea — that  labor  has  no 
rights  not  granted  by  the   free   will  of  the    employer. 
I    have  been  told  that  in  a  social  conversation,  Mr. 
Potter  said  the  Burlington  stockholders  were  dissatis- 
fied with  his  action  in  signing  a  contract  and  recog- 
nizing the  Brotherhood  of  Locomotive  Engineers  in 
1886,  and  his  position  had  become  unpleasant  in  con- 
sequence, and  that  the  Burlington  was  seeing  its  best 
days.     He  evidently  knew  the  relentless  disposition  of 
some  one  in  authority,  and  knowing  it,  could  see  the 
inevitable  result.     Mr.  Potter  appreciated  the  employes 
as  they  did  him,  and  on  May  10,  1887,  he  wrote  a  letter 
to  J.  C.  Porter,  chairman  of  the  grievance   committee 
representing  the  enginemen.     I  do  not  think  I  betray 
any  confidence  now,  since  Mr.  Potter's  death,  to  give 
it  to  the  public.     It  was  only  intended  for  the  eye  of 
the  engineers  and  firemen  when  written.     The  letter  is 
as  follows: 

Chicago,  Mav  10,  1887. 
J.  C.  Porter,  Esq., 

Aurora,  111., 
My  Dear  Sir: 

You  were  chairman  of  the  committee 
of    engineers    that  met    me    a   year    ago,    and  took 


MEETING    OF    GRIEVANCE    COMMITTEE.  Ill 

up  some  questions  of  difference  between  the  engineers 
and  firemen  on  the  one  side,  and  the  railroad  company 
on  the  other.  My  reason  for  addressing  you  this  let- 
ter, is  on  account  of  my  leaving  the  service  of  the  C, 
B.  &  Q  road  at  an  early  day.  I  desire  to  express 
through  you,  my  thanks  to  all  the  engineers  and  fire- 
men on  the  C,  B.  &  Q.  and  its  system  of  roads,  for 
their  honest  co-operation  in  carrying  out  all  the  agree- 
ments made  at  that  time.  I  wish  further  to  say  that 
it  is  with  regret  that  I  part  company  with  so  many  good 
men  as  there  are  on  the  C,  B.  &  Q.  and  its  system 
of  roads.  I  want  you  and  the  engineers  and  firemen 
on  the  C,  B.  &  Q.and  its  system  to  know  that  I  had  a 
good  opinion  of  their  ability  and  integrity,  and  of  the 
interest  they  have  taken  in  the  company's  service. 

Very  Truly  Yours, 

(Signed)  T.  J.  Potter. 

Mr.  Potter  carried  with  him  the  regrets  of  the  em- 
ployes of  all  ranks.  He  was  rightly  disposed  and  was 
too  sagacious  a  manager  to  allow  a  strike  if  it  could  be 
avoided,  although  he  defended  the  capitalists  he  repre- 
sented, and  contested  for  every  inch  of  ground  occu- 
pied. The  committee  of  1886  had  listened  to  Mr.  H. 
B.  Stone's  cold,  deliberate,  calculating  debates  on  sup- 
ply and  demand,  saying,  "If  I  wanted  boiler  iron  I 
would  go  out  on  the  market  and  buy  it  where  I  could 
get  it  the  cheapest,  and  if  I  wanted  to  employ  men  I 
would  do  the  same."  With  Mr.  Potter  gone,  the  em- 
ployes realized  that  all  liberality  went  with  him.  There 
was  one  honorary  member  of  the  Brotherhood  as  mas- 
ter mechanic  at  Brookfield,  but  he  left  about  the  time 


112  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

Mr.  Potter  did,  and  the  ground  was  clear  of  official 
good  feeling  between  the  enginemen  and  the  mechan- 
ical department.  The  master  mechanics  were  out- 
ranked by  the  division  superindents  so  that  the  em- 
ployes were  subject  to  conditions  imposed  by  both ; 
neither  being  very  friendly  because  the  Brotherhood  had 
made  an  effort  to  compel  them  to  obey  the  rule,  "  Do 
unto  others  as  you  would  they  should  do  unto  you." 

At  the  time  of  the  strike  of  the  Knights  of  Labor  on 
the  Gould  system,  a  notice  was  put  up  by  the  Burling- 
ton Company,  notifying  all  members  of  the  Knights 
of  Labor  who  were  in  their  employ,  to  go  to  the 
heads  of  their  respective  departments  and  get  their 
time  checks,  or  withdraw  from  the  Knights  of  Labor, 
and  a  great  many  complied  with  this  in  order  to  hold 
their  places.  With  Mr.  Potter  gone,  there  did  not 
seem  to  be  any  room  for  organized  labor. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

COMMITTEE  AT  CRESTON. ENGINEERS  AT  CHICAGO. 

On  the  receipt  of  Mr.  Potter's  letter  the  committee 
was  convened  at  Creston  to  hear  the  report  of  the 
chairman  and  secretary,  and  it  was  disappointing  to 
them.  They  had  expected  Mr.  Potter  would  define 
more  fully  the  official  duties  of  the  local  officers  and 
make  a  special  effort  to  define  conditions  that  would 
insure  peace.  A  copy  of  Mr.  Potter's  letter  was  sent 
to  the  Grand  Chief,  P.  M.  Arthur,  which  was  an- 
swered in  the  following  letter : 

Cleveland,  March  9,  1887. 

Brothers  Porter  and  Cuykendall : 

Your  letter  of  the  2nd  is  at  hand  and  con- 
tents carefully  perused.  Article  11  is  before  me  and 
have  just  read  it.  The  clause  Mr.  Potter  bases  his 
order  on  conflicts  with  the  first  clause,  but  I  do  not 
think  it  would  be  advisable  to  make  an  issue  with 
him  on  it  as  we  cannot  make  an  agreement  that 
includes  classification,  and  it  would  be  folly  to  at- 
tempt to  abolish  this  without  the  co-operation  of  the 
roads  centering  in  Chicago.  I  was  in  hopes  that  the 
brothers  on  these  roads  would  unite  on  some  plan  to 
abolish  classification.  Until  they  do  I  would  advise 
the  brothers  to  accept  Mr.  Potter's  offer.  Give  it  a 
fair  trial,  and  if  it  does  not  work  satisfactorily  the 
chairman  can  again  call  on  Mr.   Potter  and    explain 


114  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

the  injustice  of  the  article.  He  will  doubtless  modify 
it,  as  I  believe  he  is  inclined  to  be  just.  The  law  rela- 
tive to  classification  is  working  detrimentally  to  the 
best  interests  of  our  Order.  It  virtually  ties  the  hands 
of  the  committee,  and  the  grand  chief.  We  have  had 
two  cases  where  the  company  offered  to  abolish  all  but 
one  year,  reducing  from  four  classes  to  one,  and  we 
could  not  accept  it,  in  consequence  of  the  law.  The 
law  is  too  autocratic,  and  the  brothers  are  beginning  to 
realize  it.  Now,  my  brothers,  you  understand  the 
situation;  do  what  you  think  is  for  the  best  interest  of 
all  concerned. 

Fraternally  Yours, 

P.  M.  Arthur,  G.  C.  E. 

The  committee  was  not  pleased  with  the  situation, 
but  the  majority  were  conservative,  desiring  peace, 
and  were  willing  to  follow  the  advice  of  Mr.  Arthur, 
and  wait  and  see  what  the  result  of  Mr.  Potter's  letter 
would  be.  The  firemen  were  also  dissatisfied,  and  had 
just  organized  what  is  called  the  adjusting  committee, 
which  is  governed  by  similar  rules,  and  has  the 
same  objects  as  the  grievance  committee  of  the 
Brotherhood  of  Locomotive  Engineers.  The  engi- 
neers' committee  met  with  the  chairman  and  sec- 
retary of  the  firemen's  committee,  and  arranged 
that  that  committee's  work  should  be  suspended  until 
after  the  engineers'  convention,  which  was  to  be  held 
in  Chicago  in  October,  1887,  when  they  expected  a 
modification  of  the  law  on  classification,  and  if  they 
then  felt  the  necessity  of  waiting  upon  the  officials, 
they  would  go  in  a  body,  engineers  and  firemen,    and 


COMMITTEE  AT  CRESTON. ENGIN  EERS  AT  CHICAGO.    1 1  5 

make  a  united  effort  to  cure  the  evils  that  were  com- 
plained of  by  both  orders.  Had  they  followed  out 
this  plan,  and  met  the  Burlington  officials  immediately 
after  the  convention,  as  was  then  understood,  it  would 
have  brought  the  meeting  about  Dec  2,  in  the  face  of 
one  of  our  coldest  winters,  and  success  must  have  at- 
tended them.  But  they  let  the  golden  opportunity 
pass.  After  a  protracted  discussion  of  the  situation, 
classification  receiving  the  greatest  attention,  the  com- 
mittee adjourned,  and  this  ended  the  committee  work 
until  1887.  Votes  were  taken  on  the  various  roads 
centering  in  Chicago,  and  all  voted,  almost  unanimous- 
ly, that  it  was  such  a  menace  to  their  future  that  it 
should  be  done  away  with,  or  something  done  to  miti- 
gate its  evils. 

The  engineers'  convention  met  in  Chicago  in  Octo- 
ber, and  at  the  opening  an  address  was  delivered  by 
E.  T.  Jeffery,  General  Manager  of  the  Illinois  Central 
Railroad.  Mr.  Jeffery  is  a  self-made  man,  coming 
up  by  force  of  character  from  the  foot  of  the  ladder  to 
be  general  manager  of  one  of  the  strongest  and  best  man- 
aged corporations  in  this  country.  He  has  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  railroad  life,  and  possesses  the  confidence 
of  all  who  serve  under  him.  He  sketched  the  rela- 
tions of  officers  and  of  engineers,  to  each  other  and  to 
the  company,  and  in  turn  the  relations  of  the  company 
to  them.  The  following  is  the  address  as  given  in 
Central  Music  Hall,  Chicago,  October  19,  1887. 

Mr.  Chairman,  Brotherhood  and  Friends:  "We 

are  assembled  here    as  co-laborers,   with   a  common 
interest  and  a  common  object  in  view.      We  have  a 


Il6  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

like  purpose  and  a  like  aim  in  life.  Our  responsibili- 
ties, duties  and  anxieties  are  identical  in  kind,  and  dif- 
fer only  in  degree.  We  stand  before  our  employers 
charged  with  a  great  trust,  and  before  the  public  with 
the  gravest  duties  ever  committed  to  human  hands. 
The  lives  of  the  public  and  the  property  of  our  employ- 
ers are  committed  to  our  care.  The  first  is  a  trust  of 
pre-eminent  character  and  importance.  How  can  we 
fit  ourselves  to  perform  these  duties,  execute  these 
trusts,  carry  these  responsibilities,  and  satisfy  in  full 
the  public  and  corporate  claims  upon  us  ?  " 

"  The  first  great  requisite  is  the  high  standard  of 
manhood  which  your  organization  has  set  itself  to  mold 
and  establish.  Without  this  all  else  is  futile.  With- 
out manly  dignities  and  manly  virtues  we  lose  the 
confidence  of  the  public,  the  confidence  of  our  corpor- 
ate employers,  and  confidence  in  and  respect  for  one 
another." 

"  There  are  many  hundred  thousand  persons  scat- 
tered throughout  the  civilized  world  whose  money  is 
invested  in  railway  properties.  These  are  they  whom 
we  serve.  These  are  they  whose  property  is  intrusted 
to  our  care.  Unknown  to  us  individually,  and  we  to 
them,  these  people  confide  in  us,  trust  us,  look  to  us 
to  faithfully  administer  their  shares,  be  they  large  or 
small,  of  the  railways  of  the  land.  Supreme  over  this 
is  the  abiding  confidence  of  the  people  in  our  skill,  our 
watchfulness,  our  sobriety,  our  intelligence,  our  man- 
hood." 

"  And  this  leads  me  to  the  thought  that  there  must 
be  mutual  confidence  between  the  railway  corporations 
and  their  engineers.     Distrust  by  either    of  the  other 


COMMITTEE  AT  CRESTON. ENGINEERS  AT  CHICAGO.    1 1  7 

is  the  seed  of  discord,  and  discord  is  the  growing  plant 
upon  which  danger  blossoms — danger  to  yourselves, 
to  the  millions  whom  you  move,  and  to  the  great  com- 
mercial interests  of  this  free  and  progressive  land  in 
which  we  live." 

"I  speak  whereof  I  know,  when  I  affirm  that  the 
managing  officers  of  the  great  railway  corporations 
spare  no  effort  consistent  with  good  discipline  to  create 
and  foster  a  family  feeling,  a  feeling  of  close  relation- 
ship between  the  corporation  and  the  men.  When 
formed,  such  a  bond  of  union  is  a  strong  one,  and  is 
transmitted  from  father  to  son.  To  me  there  is  no 
pleasanter  sight  than  to  see  father  and  son  working 
upon  the  same  road ;  to  see  boys  growing  up  trained 
to  usefulness  and  manliness  by  the  corporation  which 
the  father  has  served  long  and  faithfully.  It  begets  a 
community  of  interest  which  manifests  itself  in  such 
loyal  expressions  as  "  My  engine,"  "  My  station," 
"  Our  road,"  "  Our  company."  Said  an  old  engineer 
to  me  some  years  ago:  "  My  love  is  divided  between 
my  engine  and  my  wife."  I  hope  you  ladies  will  for- 
give me  for  naming  his  engine  first." 

"  Be  manly,  frank  and  just  in  your  relations  with  the 
officers  of  the  railroads  which  you  serve.  Nearly  all 
these  men  have  risen  from  the  ranks  and  appreciate 
the  value  of  human  labor,  be  it  of  the  muscle  or  of  the 
brain.  The  little  autocrats  of  narrow  views  and  brief 
authority  grow  fewer  in  number  year  by  year,  and  so 
do  the   captious,  dissatisfied,  fault-finding  engineers." 

"  For  my  part,  after  laboring  in  various  capacities 
from  boyhood,  I  am  convinced  that  it  is  as  unwise  for 
the  engineer  to  serve  a  corporation  in  which  he  lacks 


Il8  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

confidence,  as  it  is  for  a  corporation  to  retain  in  its  em- 
ploy an  engineer  whom  it  cannot  trust.  The  faith 
must  be  mutual,  the  respect  be  well  grounded  upon 
both  sides.  The  confidence  must  be  absolute  and  un- 
qualified; and  right  dealing,  truthfulness,  honesty  of 
purpose,  consideration  by  each  for  the  rights  of  the 
other,  form  the  pedestal  upon  which  this  confidence 
must  rest." 

"  Success  in  your  vocation  makes  faith  in  mankind 
a  necessity.  You  must  have  faith  in  the  men  who 
make  the  steel  and  iron  from  which  the  boilers, 
wheels,  axles  and  other  parts  of  your  engines  are  con- 
structed; faith  in  the  man  who  designs  the  engines; 
faith  in  the  men  who  build  them ;  faith  in  the  men  who 
repair  them ;  faith  in  the  men  who  make  the  rails  they 
run  on;  faith  in  the  trackmen;  faith  in  the  bridgemen; 
the  switch  tenders,  the  signal  men,  the  conductors  and 
brakemen;  faith  in  your  brother  engineers  who  meet 
and  pass  and  follow  you  on  the  road ;  faith  in  the  man- 
ager and  his  lieutenants,  and,  above  all,  faith  in  the 
matchless  love  of  the  tender  wife  whose  lonely  hours 
are  full  of  anxiety,  but  whose  face  lightens  with  joy 
each  time  you  return  safely  from  a  trip  over  the  line." 

"Your  labor  has  a  market  value.  Your  labor  can 
be  bought  and  sold;  but  loyalty!  loyalty  is  priceless. 
It  is  founded  on  respect,  on  mutual  trust  and  confi- 
dence, and  its  mainspring  is  duty.  Duty!  The  watch- 
word of  the  engineer." 

"  A  man  plows  with  his  engine  through  snow- 
storms, moves  slow,  heavy  freight  trains,  performs 
work  at  every  station,  operates  his  engine  by  day  or 
by  night.     That  is  labor,  and  is  paid  for.     His  work  is 


COMMITTEE  AT  CRESTON. ENGINEERS  IN  CHICAGO.     I IO, 

sold  at  the  market  price." 

"  A  man  stands  for  thirty  seconds  with  his  nerves 
like  steel;  one  hand  on  the  throttle,  the  other  on  the 
reverse  lever;  the  brake  set;  the  engine  reversed;  the 
sand  running  to  make  the  brakes  hold;  a  train  of  hu- 
man beings  behind  him;  he  stands  for  them  between 
life  and  death!  He  saves  them!  That  is  duty!  The 
wages  of  a  lifetime  would  not  buy  that  thirty  seconds 
of  nerve  and  strain." 

"  Loyalty  and  duty  are  not  for  sale.  Money  can 
not  purchase  them.  Wealth,  position,  power  and 
other  considerations  bribe  ambitious  men  into  the  sem- 
blance of  loyalty  and  the  semblance  of  unselfish  devo- 
tion to  duty ;  but  tear  aside  the  veil  that  hides  the  in- 
ner man,  and  it  is  seen  that  the  motives  are  ignoble 
and  the  apparent  loyalty  and  duty  are  hollow  shams." 

"  Your  labor  and  your  skill,  not  your  moral  qualities, 
are  what  you  sell.  Your  labor  and  your  skill  are  made 
more  valuable  by  your  moral  qualities.  Sobriety, 
truth,  justice,  morality,  loyalty,  duty,  thrift,  industry 
and  intelligence  may  not  add  materially  to  your 
physical  powers,  to  the  skill  of  your  hand,  to  the 
quickness  of  your  eye,  or  to  }^our  bodily  activity ;  but 
they  make  you  noble  men,  worthy  citizens  of  a  great 
nation,  and  respected  and  reliable  representatives  of 
the  greatest  instrument  of  commerce  which  the  civil- 
ized world  has  produced." 

"  In  his  address  one  year  ago,  your  Grand  Chief 
used  these  words :  "  We  have  taken,  upon  the  adoption 
of  our  motto,  Sobriety,  Truth,  Justice  and  Morality,  a 
strong  stand  for  right.  Right  alone  for  itself,  and  in 
itself  considered,  stands  upon  a  broad  basis,  and  is  the 


120  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

only  lasting  foundation  upon  which  a  man  can  build. ?  " 
"No  truer  words  were  ever  spoken  by  mortal  tongue, 
and  with  them  for  your  guide,  the  legitimate  objects 
of  your  organization  must  be  attained.  And  these  ob- 
jects are  worthy  ones:  Greater  intelligence;  a  higher 
moral  and  intellectual  standard;  greater  mechanical 
knowledge  and  increased  skill  in  your  work;  closer  re- 
lations with  your  employers;  a  sturdy  loyalty  to  the 
corporations  you  work  for;  freedom  from  alliances 
with  questionable  organizations.  But  you  know  these 
better  than  I  do,  and  I  will  not  name  them  all.  They 
are  objects  which  must  call  forth  your  most  earnest 
efforts  as  men  and  as  locomotive  engineers.  The 
great  principle  which  glorifies  your  labor  is  the  eleva- 
tion of  yourselves  and  your  associates  in  the  scale  of 
true  manhood.  Your  aspirations  give  greater  dignity  to 
honest  toil  and  illustrate  the  identity  in  interest  of  em- 
ployer and  employe  who  rise  and  fall  upon  the  same 
tide." 

"  The  mind  of  the  world  is  broadening.  Our  mental 
vision  widens;  the  heart  of  the  world  throbs  stronger; 
our  lives  are  more  closely  interwoven.  The  ignorance 
and  prejudice  of  yesterday  pale  in  the  light  of  the  ed- 
ucation and  intelligence  of  to-day.  Here  and  now 
work  is  honorable  and  idleness  a  disgrace.  We  all 
know,  as  we  know  the  alphabet  or  the  multiplication 
table,  that  the  value  of  all  that  there  is  on  this  great, 
round  earth  is  the  result  of  labor  of  brain  and  muscle. 
This  building  wherein  we  are  assembled,  this  city  of 
matchless  enterprise,  derive  value  only  from  human  la- 
bor. The  stone,  brick,  iron,  wood  and  land,  in  their 
virgin  states,  were  of  no  value  whatever.  And  so,  too, 


o 


o 

P3 


COMMITTEE  AT  CRESTON. ENGINEERS  AT  CHICAGO.    121 

of  the  rights  and  liberties  which  we  as  citizens  of  this 
great  Republic  enjoy.  Human  labor  has  carved  them 
out.  Human  muscle  and  brains  have  achieved  them 
for  us.  Human  hands  made  the  weapons  to  fight,  and 
the  pens  to  write,  for  human  liberty." 


9 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

CONCENTRATION    OF    FORCES. 

Mr.  Potter  was  gone.  The  official  force  of  the  Bur- 
lington was  so  changed  as  to  leave  none  that  felt  in 
any  way  lenient  towards  the  men  of  strength  and  dar- 
ing, whose  toil  brings  the  money  to  the  treasury.  The 
men  in  office  in  1888  were  vain  of  their  good  standing 
with  the*  company.  The  ambition  of  each  one  was  to 
stand  first  in  the  esteem  of  the  directors  as  making  the 
least  outlay  for  repairs  and  for  wages,  and  as  bringing 
in  the  largest  returns  for  work.  Egotists  in  their  line, 
self-applauding,  lordly  men  they  were;  their  hearts 
without  a  window  open  towards  labor,  the  general 
manager  was — Stone.  Superintendent  Thompson,  as 
we  have  seen,  tried  to  prevent  the  brakemen  from 
organizing;  officers  and  conductors  combined  to  defeat 
the  switchmen  at  St.  Louis,  in  1886;  and  in  the  same 
year  Mr.  Stone  had  shown  himself  relentless  in  his 
methods  in  the  freight  handlers'  strike  in  Chicago. 
The  officials  seemed  eager  for  the  fray.  Preparations 
were  made  for  a  contest  with  any  labor  movement 
that  should  present  itself.  The  shops  were  enclosed 
with  high,  tight  .board  fences,  made  to  be  easily  guard- 
ed. Advertisements  were  published  in  the  newspapers 
of  England  in  November,  1887,  calling  for  railway 
men  as  if  the  officials,  like  the  Arabian  charger, 
smelled  the  battle  afar  off.  George  Cuff,  an  engineer 
of  Paddington,  London,  stated  that  the  advertisemen. 


CONCENTRATION    OF    FORCES.  1 23 


» 


called  for  from  500  to  1000  first-class  engineers  for  the 
service  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  com- 
pany. They  were  wanted  to  open  a  new  road  1200 
miles  long,  and  special  inducements  accompanied  this 
notice.1  Taking  all  official  conduct  into  account,  we 
can  arrive  at  only  one  conclusion — that  the  Burlington 
officials,  Messrs.  Perkins  and  Stone,  backed  by  the 
Boston  stockholders,  were  courting  a  fight  with  their 
employes,  and  so  managed  that  a  contest  became  in- 
evitable. 

Local  officers  were  quick  to  take  the  cue.  A  cor- 
respondent at  Lincoln,  Nebraska,  in  a  letter  said:  I  am 
directed  to  inform  all  the  divisions  on  the  Burlington 
system,  that  we  are  in  a  worse  situation  here  in 
regard  to  grievances,  than  we  were  before  the  settle- 
ment. Men  are  being  laid  off  for  little  offenses  of  no 
importance  whatever.  Master  Mechanic  Hawksworth 
of  Plattsmouth,  on  November  11,  1887,  ordered  Engi- 
neer Bosley  laid  off  for  ten  days  for  refusing  to  go  on 
an  extra  train  without  his  breakfast.  This  engineer 
had  waited  for  this  train  four  hours  without  pay. 
Breakfast  was  ready  as  the  train  arrived  and  the  engi- 
neer says  he  consumed  fifteen  minutes  eating,  and  was 
laid  off  ten  days  because  he  did  not  go  hungry.  The 
train  not  showing  any  delav,  Master  Mechanic  West, 
of  Burlington,  told  Committeeman  J.  A.  Cuyken- 
dall  that  there  was  no  delayed  time  to  be  allowed  on 
local  runs.  This  is  where  the  most  work  is  done  for 
nothing. 

In  February,  Engineer  W.  H.  Wilder  went  to  Mr. 
West  to  get  errors  in  his  time  corrected,  he  not  being 
paid  according  to  his  age  as  an  engineer,  and  during 

'Statement  of  English  Engineer,  Denver  Republican,  July  17,  iS^S. 


124  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

his  stay  was  roundly  cursed,  the  oaths  being  repeated 
several  times.  The  men  at  Burlington  had  waited  on 
the  superintendent  and  entered  complaint  of  the  treat- 
ment by  the  master  mechanic,  and  had  received  assur- 
ance that  it  should  be  stopped.  When  this  occurred 
they  were  much  incensed,  and  asked  the  grievance 
committee  to  try  and  have  Mr.  West  removed,  or  se- 
cure an  assurance  that  they  should  have  respectful 
treatment  in  the  future.  Serious  complaint  was  made 
by  the  men  on  the  St.  Louis  division,  against  the  mas- 
ter mechanic  and  the  roundhouse  foreman,  for  violation 
of  the  rules  which  were  made  in  1886.  We  call  at- 
tention to  a  few  of  these  complaints  to  show  the  ne- 
cessity of  laws  to  govern  and  hold  in  subjection,  officials 
assuming  authority  that  did  not  belong  to  their  posi- 
tion 

The  companies  have  an  unquestionable  right  to  fix 
conditions  and  to  manage  their  own  affairs ;  to  appoint 
agents  and  to  delegate  to  them  authority  to  hire  and 
discharge  and  transact  the  business  of  the  company. 
But  their  duty  does  not  stop  here.  These  companies 
have  reached  such  magnitude  that  they  control  the  la- 
bor market,  and  the  laboring  man  has  virtually  no  op- 
tion but  to  accept  the  conditions  so  fixed  by  the  pow- 
erful corporations.  It  is  simple  justice  to  say  that 
they  are  under  moral  obligations  to  form  and  to  exe- 
cute equitable  rules  for  the  guidance  of  the  employe  of 
whatever  grade,  whether  officer  or  laborer. 

It  is  the  usual  policy  of  railway  administration  to 
give  individual  privileges  to  hundreds  of  middle  men, 
local  officers,  to  do  what  they  please ;  to  fix  evil  con- 
ditions, to  suspend  or  discharge  according  to  his  whims 


CONCENTRATION    OF    FORCES.  1 25 

or  animosities.  This  is  the  grossest  injustice.  Labor 
has  the  right  to  protect  itself  just  the  same  as  capital 
has  and  it  has  a  right  to  employ  the  same  methods, 
i.  e.  to  concentrate  its  force, — moral,  social  or  political — 
and  to  express  it  through  its  own  chosen  representa- 
tives. Moreover,  the  rules  made  in  1886,  after  so 
much  effort  by  the  engineers,  having  been  practically 
annulled  by  the  local  officers,  the  men  who  felt  them- 
selves aggrieved  and  injured,  resolved  to  seek  redress 
by  all  legal  and  honorable  means.  Naturally,  the 
grievances  accumulated  in  the  hands  of  the  grievance 
committee,  and  the  necessity  grew  upon  them  of  hold- 
ing a  meeting  and  devising  some  definite  remedial 
measures.  That  meeting  and  its  measures  shall  re- 
ceive our  attention  next. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

COMMITTEE    OF    1 888    AND    ITS    WORK. 

The  chairman  of  the  grievance  committee,  Mr.  J. 
C.Porter,  at  the  earnest  solicitation  of  men  all  along  the 
line,  convened  the  committee  at  Burlington  on  January 
23,  1888.  In  the  meantime  Mr.  Porter  had  written  the 
Grand  Chief,  P.  M.  Arthur,  that  he  contemplated  re- 
signing from  the  committee,  and  he  received  the  fol- 
lowing letter,  which  was  read  to  the  committee : 

Cleveland,  Ohio,  January  24,  1888. 
Dear  Brother  Porter: 

Your  letter  received  and  noted.  If  the  brothers 
are  united  upon  the  system  and  ready  to  sacrifice  their 
situations  if  necessary  to  accomplish  what  they  want, 
I  think  they  will  succeed.  On  the  contrary,  if  they 
are  actuated  by  a  spirit  of  selfishness  and  jealousy, 
no  good  will  come  from  their  meeting.  I  do  not  blame 
you  for  wanting  to  resign  as  chairman,  yet  I  do  not 
think  it  would  be  wise  to  do  so  unless  the  committee 
require  it,  as  we  want  conservative  men  in  such  posi- 
tions. If  the  committee  claim  the  company  has  viola- 
ted the  agreement  they  must  be  prepared  to  prove  it. 
Do  not  make  assertions  unless  you  can  substantiate 
them  by  positive  proof.     Please  keep  me  informed  of 

your  progress. 

Yours  Fraternally, 

(Signed,)     P.  M.  Arthur,  G.  C.  E. 


COMMITTEE    OF    1 888    AND    ITS    WORK.  1 27 

It  would  appear  that  the  men  .had  abiding  faith  in 
the  justice  of  their  position.  Mr.  Arthur  pictures  the 
possible  results,  advises  conservative  action,  and  ends 
by  saying,  "You  must  make  no  assertion  you  cannot 
positively  prove ;"  and  yet  after  this  dismal  picture  pur- 
posely giving  the  dark  side,  the  work  is  continued. 
Mr.  Porter  tendered  his  resignation  as  he  had  intend- 
ed to  do  and  was  presented  with  a  fine  meerschaum 
pipe  by  the  committee,  and  S.  E.  Hoge,  of  McCook, 
Nebraska,  was  elected  to  fill  the  place  of  chairman. 
It  will  be  remembered  that  the  firemen,  feeling  the 
same  necessity  for  decided  action,  had  organized  their 
adjusting  committee  and  had,  like  the  engineers,  for- 
mulated grievances  and  desired  rules  enacted  to  govern 
their  affairs  as  well.  The  firemen  recognized  that 
whatever  was  injurious  to  them,  or  to  the  engineers, 
would  be  detrimental  to  the  future  of  the  firemen  as 
they  naturally  expected  to  become  engineers.  Their 
committee  was  called  at  the  same  time  and  place,  but 
they  met  in  separate  bodies.  Each  of  these  bodies 
deliberated  Monday  and  Tuesday,  discussing  the  va- 
rious* questions,  and  on  Wednesday  January  25,  both  of 
these  committees  met  together  as  a  joint  committee. 
This  committee  was  composed  of  fourteen  engineers 
and  fourteen  firemen. 

COMMITTEE  OF  ENGINEERS. 

J.  A.  Bauereisen,  Charles  Thomas, 

Aurora,  111.  St.  Joseph,  Mo. 

R.  Martin,  Chas.  Dean, 

Galesburg,  111.  Chicago  &  Iowa,  R.  R. 


128 


THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 


G.  W.  Wheatly, 

Beardstown,  111. 
H.  M.  Martin, 

Keokuk,  Iowa. 
John  Eckerson, 

Burlington,  Iowa. 
Geo.  Fisher, 

Creston,  Iowa 
Wm.  McClain, 

Brookfield,  Mo. 


E.  B.  Wadworth, 

Wymore,  Neb. 
Wm.  Fowler, 

McCook,  Neb. 
Mat.  Conners, 

Chicago,  111. 
C.  H.  Sanborn, 

Lincoln,  Neb. 
S.  E.  Hoge,  Chairman, 

McCook,  Neb. 


COMMITTEE    OF    FIREMEN. 


C.  Pardieu, 

Aurora,  111. 
R.  H.  Lacy, 

Galesburg,  111. 

D.  A.  Sherman, 

Beardstown,  111. 
J.  H.  Snoddy, 

Brookfield,  Mo. 

E.  J.  Ebersol, 

McCook,  Neb. 
S.  A.  Eads, 

Burlington,  Iowa. 
J.  F.  Bryan, 

Creston,  Iowa. 


F.  P.  McDonald, 

St.  Joseph,  Mo. 
W.  Sphor, 

Lincoln,  Neb. 
W.  F.  Hackett, 

Wymore,  Neb. 
J.  D.  McCarty, 

Chicago,  111. 
H.  F.  Zinn, 

Plattsmouth,  Neb. 
M.  L.  Bixler, 

Chariton,  Iowa. 

J.  H.  Murphy,  Chairman, 

Chariton,  Iowa. 


The  union  of  these  two  committees  was  not  a  new 
departure.  Engineers  and  firemen  had  met  jointly 
from  ten  different  roads,  from  Feb.  1887  to  Feb.  1888, 
abolished  classification  on  three  roads  and  reduced  one  to 
one    year,    had    effected    many    improvements,     and 


COMMITTEE    OF    l888    AND    ITS    WORK.  1 29 

reinstated  men  discharged  without  cause  and  in  viola- 
tion of  contract.  "It  is  the  natural  instinct  of  man  to 
protect  himself,  and  the  limits  of  that  protection  are 
bounded  by  the  golden  rule.  The  ancient  civiliza- 
tion neglected  this;  the  personality  of  the  citizen  was 
lost;  the  individual  was  made  an  unlimited  slave  to  an 
unlimited  sovereignty,  as  it  is  now  under  some  corpo- 
rations of  modern  times.  Man  was  reduced  to  slavery, 
and  he,  and  all  his  interests,  subordinated  to  state  des- 
potism. This  is  what  man  succeeded  in  reaching  by 
losing  the  idea  of  our  great  Brotherhood  under  one 
common  Fatherhood." 1  The  belief  in  the  justice  of 
one's  position  lends  courage,  and  these  men  composing 
these  committees,  although  Mr.  Arthur  had  shown 
them  their  difficulties  and  dangers,  had  the  courage,  and 
were  convinced  of  the  justice,  of  their  position. 

J.  A.  Cuykendall,  an  engineer  on  the  C,  B.  &  Q. 
road  was  discharged  on  January  20,  1888.  His  of- 
fense primarily  was  his  being  a  member  of  the  General 
Grievance  Committee  of  1886,  and  he  was  still  acting 
as  such  at  the  date  of  his  discharge.  All  the  facts 
were  laid  before  the  Grievance  Committee,  just  formed. 
It  seems  Mr.  Cuykendall  had  a  pendent  set  watch. 
As  every  one  knows,  in  order  to  set  the  hands  the 
stem  winding  pin  must  be  pulled  out  to  change  the 
gear  from  mainspring  to  hands.  Time  was  compared, 
according  to  rule,  before  starting,  and  was  found  to  be 
right,  but  by  some  means  while  on  the  trip  his  watch 
became  eight  or  nine  minutes  slow,  supposed  to  be 
caused  by  a  too  easily  working  stem  set.  As  he  knew 
nothing  about  the  derangement  of  the  time  it  was 
reasonable  to  suppose  that  in  taking   the   watch    from 

t  'F.xtract  from  speech  of  Rev.  Chas.  O'Reilly,  D.  D. 


13O  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

his  pocket,  the  pin  was  pulled  out  enough  to  catch  the 
hands,  and  move  them  slightly — a  very  little  makes 
several  minutes.  On  his  nearing  West  Burlington, 
where  he  expected  to  meet  passenger  No.  3,  he  was 
astonished  to  find  the  train  was  already  there,  when 
according  to  the  time  by  his  watch  he  should  have  been 
there  first.  He  asked  his  fireman  for  the  time  and 
discovered  to  his  astonishment,  that  his  watch  was 
wrong.  Mr.  Cuykendall,  according  to  the  rules, 
should  have  stopped  and  sent  a  flagman  ahead,  but  by 
the  time  he  was  fully  convinced  that  his  time  was 
wrong  he  was  so  near, — the  trains  being  in  clear  sight 
of  each  other, — he  concluded  to  pull  in  and  so  delay 
the  passenger  the  least  possible.  His  watch  was  then 
compared  with  the  conductor's,  and  with  others,  and 
found  wrong.  There  was  no  forgetfulness  or  careless- 
ness claimed.  Mr.  Cuvkendall  and  the  conductor 
were  both  discharged — the  conductor  because  he  did 
not  give  better  attention  and  see  that  the  engineer  did 
not  commit  such  an  error. 

The  Grievance  Committee  being  satisfied  that  the 
penalty  was  too  severe,  took  up  the  matter  and  asked 
an  audience  with  Superintendent  Brown,  to  see  if  they 
could  not  have  it  modified.  The  request  was  granted, 
and  Mr.  Brown  appointed  10:00  a.  m.,  Thursday,  Jan- 
uary 26,  for  the  meeting.  On  January  25,  the  engi- 
neers and  firemen  met  in  joint  session,  and  resolved  to 
merge  into  one  set  of  rules,  the  conditions  desired  by 
both  Orders,  and,  as  a  joint  body,  present  them  to  the 
officials  of  the  company.  Each  article  was  then  dis- 
cussed pro  and  con,  and  decided  by  a  joint  vote.  The 
committee  at  the  appointed  time,   met  Superintendent. 


COMMITTEE    OF    l888    AND    ITS    WORK.  131 

Brown,  in  behalf  of  their  discharged  brother,  Mr. 
Cuykendall.  Mr.  Brown  said  they  must  make 
an  example;  that  it  would  not  do  to  establish  a  prece- 
dent by  reinstating  Mr.  Cuykendall.  The  extenua- 
ting circumstances  counted  nothing.  The  committee 
believed  Master  Mechanic  West  was  the  influence  that 
prevented  a  rehearing  of  the  case. 

The  work  of  the  committee  was  -nearly  completed, 
and  they  desired  to  go  to  Chicago  to  meet  the  general 
officers.  The  chairman,  Mr.  S.  E.  Hoge,  requested 
Superintendent  Brown  to  furnish  transportation,  which 
he  readily  assented  to,  with  the  acception  of  Mr.  Cuy- 
kendall, and  he  would  try  and  get  a  pass  for  him,  and 
would  have  all  ready  by  2  :oo  p.  m.  Passes  were  giv- 
en, for  all,  Mr.  Cuykendall  included.  It  is  against  the 
company's  rule  to  give  transportation  to  any  employe 
suspended  or  discharged.  To  employes  who  are  in 
good  standing,  the  Burlington  Company  has  always 
been  fairly  liberal.  Some  officers  were  more  liberal 
than  others,  yet  no  fault  could  be  found  with  the  com- 
pany in  relation  to  transportation  for  their  own  em- 
ployes. The  article  in  the  new  rules  as  presented, 
was  merely  a  request  that  they  be  privileged  to  show 
courtesy  to  traveling  brothers  who  were  known  mem- 
bers, and  worthy  of  their  confidence  and  favor. 

The  committee  believed  that  the  general  managers 
could  not  make  a  settlement  without  the  consent  of 
higher  authority,  and  made  their  plans  to  obviate  the 
long  delay  experienced  in  1886.  Accordingly  they 
sent  a  message  to  President  Perkins,  before  leaving 
Burlington,  notifving  him  of  their  desire  to  meet  him 
in  Chicago,  on  Monday,  January  30,  1888.     They  then 


132  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

adjourned  to  meet  in  Chicago. 

The  committee  met  at  the  appointed  time  in  the 
parlor  of  the  National  hotel.  S.  E.  Hoge,  chairman 
of  the  engineer's  committee,  was  made  chairman  of 
the  joint  committee,  and  J.  H.  Murphy,  chairman  of 
the  firemen's  committee,  secretary.  On  Tuesday, 
January  31,  a  message  was  received  from  Mr.  Perkins 
stating  that  he  would  be  in  Boston  soon  and  would 
meet  the  committee  in  Boston  the  next  week,  if  they 
so  desired;  but  suggested  that  the  committee  meet 
the  general  managers  and  said  he  did  not  intend  to 
come  west  very  soon,  as  he  had  just  come  from 
there.  The  committee  knowing  it  was  useless  to  see  the 
general  manager,  without  his  presence,  or  author- 
ity delegated  by  him  to  the  managers,  sent  another 
message  saying:  "The  General  Grievance  Committee 
of  the  wrhole  system  is  here.  Cannot  make  settle- 
ment with  the  general  manager.       Will  you  come  ?" 

S.  E.  Hoge. 

On  February  7>  a  message  was  received  from  Pres- 
ident Perkins,  saying  that  he  had  written  a  letter  to 
the  committee  from  Boston,  which  was  received  by 
the  chairman  on  the  2nd,  in  which  Mr.  Perkins  re- 
quested that  they  meet  with  the  general  managers  of 
the  several  roads  composing  the  Burlington  system. 
In  compliance  with  this,  an  effort  was  made  to  obtain 
the  desired  interview.  General  Manager  Stone  was 
supposed  to  be  in  Washington,  and  on  February  3,  a 
message  was  sent  to  him  asking  an  audience.  On 
Saturday,  February  4,  agreeable  to  appointment  with 
Superintendent  Besler,  the  committee  went  to  his  of- 


COMMITTEE    OE    1 888    AND    ITS    WORK.  1 33 

rice  to  make  another  effort  in  Mr.  Cuykendall's  be- 
half. They  found  Mr.  Besler  accompanied  by  Mr. 
Steward,  assistant  superintendent  at  Burlington,  who 
read  a  long  statement,  going  to  show  that  Mr.  Cuy- 
kendall  had  been  careless  on  the  whole  trip.  It  was 
evident  they  were  anxious  to  be  rid  of  a  member  of 
the  committee  who  tried  to  make  the  officers  comply 
with  the  law.  Mr.  Besler  was  finally  asked  to  say 
positively  what  he  would  do,  whether  he  would  rein- 
state him  or  not,  and  he  answered,  "  No,  I  will  not." 
The  matter  was  referred  to  Mr.  Stone,  later. 

Some  of  the  engineers'  committee  of  1888  had  been 
also  of  the  committee  of  1886.  The  long  siege  then, 
through  the  absence  of  the  leading  officials,  and  their 
inability  at  this  time  to  secure  a  meeting,  did  not  por- 
tend an  easy  solution  of  their  difficulties.  To  have  all 
the  men  along  the  line  understand  the  situation,  they 
reported  progress,  and  requested  that  all  members  of 
the  order  should  assemble  and  vote  to  sustain,  or  not, 
the  action  of  their  committee.  Accordingly  a  letter 
was  addressed  to  all  points  along  the  line,  asking  that 
all  members  of  both  engineers',  and  the  firemen's 
Brotherhood  should  vote  as  to  whether  they  would 
sustain  the  General  Grievance  Committee  in  demand- 
ing the  enactment  of  such  rules  as  seemed  to  them  just 
and  necessary.  1st,  To  sustain  the  committee,  yes  or 
no.  2nd,  For  total  abolition  of  classification,  yes  or  no. 
For  one  year  classification,  yes  or  no.  Each  brother 
to  sign  his  own  name.  Each  of  the  Brotherhoods  of 
engineers  and  firemen  has  been  called  a  one-man  pow- 
er, yet  they  have  selected  a  man  to  represent  their 
grievances,  by  ballot ;  they  have  voted  upon  the  sub- 


134 


THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 


stance  of  the  instructions  to  that  representative,  and 
they  voted  to  sustain  him  in  pressing  for  the  conces- 
sions asked  from  the  company;  and  they  gave  a  sep- 
arate and  independent  vote  upon  the  all  important  sub- 
ject of  classification.  The  vote  was  almost  unanimous 
on  the  first  two  propositions,  "  Yes."  A  few  votes 
only  were  cast  for  one  year  of  reduced  pay. 


THE  BURLINGTON  SYSTEM. 

SHOWING   SCOPE    OF    TERRITORY    OCCUPIED    BY    IT. 

The  above  map  is  given  to  show  the  reader  the 
immense  territory  covered,  and  the  labor  market  con- 
trolled by  this  powerful  corporation — the  Burlington. 
The  Chicago,  Rock  Island  and  Pacific;  Chicago  and 
North- Western;  and  Chicago,  Milwaukee  and  St.  Paul, 
control  nearly  all  the  roads  shown  above  the  south  line 
of  the  Burlington. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

LOYALTY  OF  ENGINEERS  AND  FIREMEN. 

The  engineers  of  the  Burlington  were  men  of  up- 
right and  unselfish  character.  They  were  of  an  inde- 
pendent cast  of  thought;  they  were  generous  and 
broad  minded  men.  These  qualities  are  clearly 
brought  out  at  the  close  of  the  last  chapter,  but  they 
are  still  better  represented  in  the  history  of  the  ./Han- 
nibal &  St.  Joseph  railroad  before  it  came  into  the  pos- 
session of  the  Burlington.  When  Col.  R.  S.  Stevens 
was  general  manager  of  this  road — then  a  separate 
property, — the  road  was  in  a  very  bad  financial  con- 
dition. Mr.  Stevens  looked  around  for  some  means 
of  retrenchment,  by  which  he  could  tide  over  the  de- 
pression. In  pursuit  of  a  method  he  addressed  a  letter 
to  the  engineers,  stating  the  necessities  that  beset  his 
management,  and  asked  them  whether  they  could  not 
help  him  until  such  time  as  business  should  improve. 
To  this  appeal  these  men  responded  by  immediately  ap- 
pointing a  committee,  who  went  to  Hannibal,  the  head- 
quarters of  this  road,  and  the  members  of  the  commit- 
tee from  Brookfield,  Mo.,  joined  those  of  the  committee 
who  lived  in  Hannibal,  and  with  such  interest  as  men  feel 
over  their  own  affairs,  they  consulted  as  to  how  much 
they  could  spare  from  their  daily  pay  to  help  the  gen- 
eral manager  past  his  difficulties.  They  settled  upon 
an  amount  of  temporary  reduction,  met  with  Mr.  Ste- 
vens at  his  office  and  gave  him  the  result.     Mr.  Ste- 


1 36  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 


vens  was  highly  pleased,  and  gave  them  a  letter  of 
thanks,  and  a  written  promise  to  restore  the  pay  when- 
ever business  would  justify  it.  In  this  he  accom- 
plished, by  gentlemanly  methods,  and  a  due  considera- 
tion of  the  second  party,  what  he  could  not  do  arbitra- 
rilv,  or  bv  force. 

In  1877,  one  G.  B.  Simonds  became  general  master 
mechanic,  who  removed  the  division  master  mechanic 
at  Brookfield,  and  put  in  one  of  his  own  kind,  and  a 
system  of  prosecution  was  inaugurated  that  culminated 
in  an  effort  to  secure  the  removal  of  this  tyrant. 
Division  29,  then  located  at  Brookfield,  appointed  a 
committee  who  went  to  New  York  city  to  see  the  di- 
rectors and  have  a  stop  put  to  the  wholesale  discharge, 
and  the  gross  misuse  of  the  men.  This  would  have 
succeeded  had  it  not  been  for  a  Benedict  Arnold,  in 
the  person  of  George  Jennings,  who,  on  the  promise  of 
a  place  as  division  master  mechanic,  started  a  counter 
petition,  and,  securing  a  few  names,  succeeded  in 
breaking  up  the  harmony  of  the  Order.  Through  this 
petition,  G.  B.  Simonds  held  his  place  for  the  time  be- 
ing; and  the  consequence  was  that  every  Brotherhood 
man,  not  already  discharged,  was  sent  away  with  rea- 
son, or  without.  This  tyrant  was  allowed  full  sway. 
The  old  and  tried  men  were  exchanged  for  any  men 
not  members  of  the  Brotherhood.  There  were  some 
-good  men  among  the  new,  but  the  average  was  ex- 
tremely bad.  The  members  of  the  division  being  dis- 
charged, their  charter  was  surrendered  and  the  organ- 
ization ceased  to  exist  at  that  point.  Wreck  and  disas- 
ter followed.  The  company,  through  its  petted  and 
protected  officer,    had  sown  the  wind    and  was  about 


PI 
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Tift  LIBRARY 

OF  THfc 

UNIVERSITY  Of  ILLINOIS 


LOYALTY  OF  ENGINEERS  AND  FIREMEN.  I  37 

to  reap  the  whirlwind,  as  the  natural  outcome  of  its 
violence  against  justice  and  fair  treatment.  The  com- 
pany becoming  convinced  of  the  unprofitableness  of 
this  course,  removed  the  master  mechanic,  and  T.  G. 
Gorman  was  appointed,  who  adopted  a  different  pol- 
icy. The  Simonds  bum  element  was  weeded  out,  and 
many  of  the  old  men  came  back  and  took  their  places. 
Peace  and  good  order  returned.  Some  who  had 
been  members  of  Division  29,  which  had  been  broken 
up  by  Simonds,  organized  what  is  now  known  as  Di- 
vision 79.  In  all  this  time,  this  company  had  forgot- 
ten that  these  men  had  reduced  their  own  pay,  on  a 
written  promise  that  it  should  be  restored,  and  during 
the  unorganized  condition  of  the  men,  the  company 
had  ordered  and  executed  another  reduction.  In  1883 
the  road  was  under  the  management  of  Mr.  John  B. 
Carson,  a  gentleman  and  a  thorough  business  man. 
The  traffic,  under  his  management,  had  increased  to 
the  full  capacity  of  the  motive  power  of  the  company. 
The  men  were  being  paid  less  than  were  any  of  their 
neighbors.  A  committer  was  appointed  by  Division 
79,  to  wait  on  Mr.  Carson,  and  they  took  with  them 
the  written  promise  of  the  company,  given  by  General 
Manager  Stevens,  and  proceeded  to  Hannibal,  Mo., 
the  headquarters  of  the  road.  On  their  arrival  they 
found  General  Manager  Carson  was  in  New  York 
city,  and  they  awaited  his  return,  with  entire  confi- 
dence in  his  honor  and  integrity.  On  his  arrival,  he 
met  the  committee,  and  a  settlement  was  made;  classi- 
ification  was  done  away  with,  and  they  were  paid  the 
same  rate  as  their  neighbors,  as  will  be  seen  in  the  fol- 
lowing letter: 
10 


138  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

Hannibal  &  St.  Joseph  Railroad  Company. 
Office  of  Superintendent. 

Hannibal,  Mo.,  April  27,  1883. 
Messrs.  Burch,  Leaphart,  Rhodes  and  Smith, 

Committee. 
Gentlemen : 

It  has  this  day  been  decided,  that  from  and 
after  May  1,  1883,  the  wages  of  engineers  shall  be  as 
follows :  Engineers  of  passenger  trains,  3^c.  per  mile. 
Engineers  of  freight  trains,  4c.  per  mile  on  all  classes 
of  engines.  Engineers  of  construction  trains  $3.50 
per  day-  Engineers  of  switch  engines,  $2.50  per  day, 
or  $80  per  month,  a  da}''s  work  to  be  twelve  hours. 

Engineers  dela}-ed  over  two  hours  shall  receive  35c. 
per  hour,  after  the  expiration  of  the  first  two  hours. 
The  pay  for  short  runs  to  be  fixed  by  the  undersigned 
on  a  mileage  basis,  the  extra  work,  switching,  etc.,  to 
be  considered.  The  firemen's  pay  to  be  increased 
proportionately  the  same  as  engineers,  taking  as  a  ba- 
sis, the  pay  as  it  was  before  the  reduction  by  Mr.  Car- 
son. Yours  Respectfully, 

(Signed)   W.  R.  Woodard,  Supt. 
(Signed)  James  Long,  Supt.  M.  P.  &  M. 

The  best  of  feeling  prevailed,  as  will  be  seen  by  the 
following  correspondence: 

John  B.  Carson,  Esq., 

General  Manager  of  Hannibal  &  St.  Joseph  R.  R. 

Dear  Sir: 

Appreciating  the  kindness  shown  us  at  our 
meeting  with  you,  and  feeling  that  you  have  placed  us 


LOYALTY  OF  ENGINEERS  AND   FIREMEN.  1 39 

on  an  equality  with  other  men  of  like  calling,  we  wish 
to  express  our  sincere  thanks  to  you.  We  wiU  en- 
deavor by  strict  attention  to  your  interests, — and 
through  that  the  company's — to  make  restitution,  at 
least  in  part,  and  we  hope  the  friendly  relations  so 
long  existing,  and  your  able  management  of  the  road, 
may  continue  as  long  as  it  is  your  pleasure  to  remain 
with  us.     Again  thanking  you, 

We  remain  respectfully  yours, 

(For  the  committee.)      H.  L.  Burch. 

Mr.  Carson  replied  in  the  following : 

Hannibal  &  St.  Joseph  Railroad  Company. 
Office  of  General  Manager. 

Hannibal,  Mo.,  July  5,  1883. 

Mr.  H.  L.  Burch,  Engineer  H.  &St.Jo.R.R. 
Brookfield,   Mo. 

Dear  Sir. 

I  beg  to  acknowledge  receipt  of  letter  from 
yourself  and  associates  of  the  30th  ult.  Permit  me  to 
thank  you  for  you  friendly  expressions,  and  to  assure 
you  that  they  are  fully  reciprocated  on  my  part,  not 
only  to  yourselves,  but  to  every  employe  of  this  com- 
pany who  has  so  thoroughly  and  faithfully  performed 
his  duties  during  the  period  of  my  management. 
Without  such  able  and  manly  assistance  as  I  have  re- 
ceived on  the  part  of  the  gentlemen  associated  with 
me  in  all  capacities,  I  could  not  have  succeeded  in  the 
creditable  manner,  so  pleasantly  referred  to  by  you. 

If  you  will  kindly  bear  in  mind  that  it  is  in  your  pow- 
ei  to  make  a  saving  to  the  company  by  the  economi- 
cal performance  of  your  duties,  equal  to  the  additional 


149  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

compensation  you  receive,  we  will  come  out  even  in 
the  end,  and  I  have  confidence  in  believing  you  will  all 
try  to  accomplish  this. 
With  best  wishes  I  am 

Yours  Very  Respectfully, 

John  B.  Carson,  General  Manager. 

Here  is  an  instance  of  friendly  intercourse,  of  mu- 
tual interest,  which  naturally  comes  of  a  considerate 
management.  These  relations  continued  pleasant  dur- 
ing Mr.  Carson's  stay;  but  the  Chicago,  Burlington 
&  Quincy  Co.  reached  out  its  strong  arms  and  secured 
the  control  of  the  Hannibal  &  St.  Joseph  railroad.  Mr. 
Carson  went  to  the  Louisville,  New  Albany  &  Chica- 
go railroad,  and  the  Hannibal  &  St.  Joseph  railroad  was 
placed  under  Burlington  rules.  A  notice  was  posted 
that  on  and  after  November  i,  1885,  all  men  promot- 
ed in  the  engine  department  would  be  classified,  and 
the  doors  were  suddenly  closed  upon  the  employment  of 
engineers  from  other  roads.  This  was  a  startling  ex- 
ercise of  power.  It  was  a  widening  of  the  domain  of 
classification,  which  drove  away  contentment  and  har- 
mony wherever  it  went.  Their  pay  on  the  mileage 
plan  was  not  disturbed.  The  General  Grievance  Com- 
mittee was  asking  the  Burlington  to  adopt  the  same 
standard  of  three  and  a  half  cents  on  passenger,  and  four 
cents  per  mile  on  freight :  yet  they  were  so  much  im- 
pressed with  the  evil  of  classification,  that  when  they 
were  asked  to  vote  to  sustain  the  General  Grievance 
Committee,  and  vote  on  the  abolition  of  classification, 
they  voted  unanimously  to  do  away  with  a  rule  that 
had  in  it  such  an  evil  tendency.     Their  social  relations 


LOYALTY  OF  ENGINEERS  AND  FIREMEN.  I4I 

with  the  officers  were  pleasant.  Their  pay  was  sat- 
isfactory to  those  who  were  past  the  year  of  probation. 
They  deserve  the  credit  of  an  unselfish  devotion  to 
principle,  in  lending  their  assistance,  and  risking  their 
future  by  enlisting  in  a  common  cause,  for  a  common 
good.  Had  the  right  principle  of  apprenticeship  been 
adopted,  these  men  could  not  have  been  so  completely 
united  as  they  were.  Apprenticeship  has  always  had 
defenders;  it  has  yet.  There  is  no  question  that 
the  engineers  and  firemen  would  willingly  accept  a  re- 
duction of  wages,  equal  to  the  difference  between  a 
tried  man  and  an  untried  one.  The  Baltimore  &  Ohio 
road  pays  ten  per  cent  less  than  first-class  for  one 
year,  then  full  pay.  Here  are  just  principles.  But  on 
the  Burlington,  under  classification,  a  difference  of  33 
per  cent  is  demanded  first  year,  and  16  per  cent  for  the 
second  year,  then  full  pay;  and  employ  no  one  who 
cannot  be  used  at  these  reductions,  consequently  no 
engineers  were  hired. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

JOINT  COMMITTEE  SEEKING  AN    INTERVIEW. 

On  Monday,  February  6,  having  heard  nothing 
from  Mr.  Stone,  another  message  was  sent  him  asking 
an  answer  by  1:00  p.  m.  Not  receiving  any  answer, 
the  committee  concluded  they  did  not  intend  to  grant 
a  hearing.  They  concluded  to  send  another  dispatch 
to  Mr.  Perkins,  and  tell  him  they  had  sent  two  mes- 
sages to  Mr.  Stone  and  had  received  no  answer,  and 
that  they  would  wait  three  days  for  him  to  come  and 
meet  the  committee,  and  that  if  he  did  not  come,  then 
they  would  put  the  matter  in  the  hands  of  the  two 
grand  officers,  Messrs.  Arthur  and  Sargent.  To  this 
Mr.  Perkins  answered  on  Wednesday,  February  7: 
"S.  E.  Hoge:  Message  received.  Mr.  Stone  probably 
did  not  get  your  message;  he  is  on  his  way  from 
Washington  and  will  be  in  New  York  to-day,  and  I 
will  talk  with  him."  '  The  first  dispatch  sent  to  Mr. 
Stone  might  not  have  found  him,  the  second  one  did. 
The  Knights  of  Labor  had  a  strike  in  Pennsylvania, 
on  December  24,  1887.  It  was  not  a  railroad  strike, 
but  it  involved  railroad  men  who  were  members  of 
that  Order.  From  subsequent  developments  it  is 
reasonable  to  suppose  that  Mr.  Stone  did  not  desire  to 
answer  until  he  knew  the  purport  of  the  dissatisfaction, 
and  whether  it  could  be  made  useful.  A  message  was 
finally  received  from  him  and  read  to  the  committee 
on  the  8th,  and  Mr.  Perkins  was  so  notified,  and  that 

1  Minutes  of  member  General  Grievance  Committee. 


JOINT  COMMITTEE  SEEKING  AN  INTERVIEW.        I43 

they  would  confer  with  him  later.  Mr.  Holdridge  was 
then  heard  from,  and  the  chairman  asked  for  an  audi- 
ence, and  he  was  answered  that  they  could  not  grant 
it  until  the  next  Wednesday.  Five  days  more  of  wait- 
ing was  no  small  item  to  this  committee  of  twenty- 
eight  men,  yet  the  delay  was  accepted  with  good 
grace. 

The  committee  believed  the  adverse  railroad  legis- 
lation in  the  state  of  Iowa  was  extreme,  and  that  it 
would  be  detrimental  to  both  the  railroads  and  the 
common  good  of  the  state.  They  drafted  a  me- 
morial to  be  presented  to  that  legislature  against 
the  adoption  of  the  two  cent  per  mile  rate.  They  then 
appointed  a  committee  composed  of  F.  P.  McDonald, 
of  St  Joseph,  Mo.,  George  W.  Wheatly,  of  Beards- 
town,  111.,  and  Wm.  Fowler,  of  McCook,  Neb.,  who 
were  instructed  to  present  the  memorial.  This  would 
indicate  that  while  they  were  trying  to  secure  equity 
of  a  railroad  company,  they  were  not  unmindful  of  the 
interests  of  railroads. 

On  Monday,  February  13,  a  committee  was  ap- 
pointed to  present  the  subject  of  the  dismissal  of  their 
brother,  J.  A.  Cuykendall,  to  Mr.  Stone  on  the  next 
day,  and  see  if  he  would  not  reverse  or  modify  the  de- 
cision of  Superintendents  Brown  and  Besler.  On 
Wednesday,  February  15,  this  committee  called  and 
presented  the  matter,  and  Mr.  Stone  wanted  to  see  the 
watch  that  had  caused  the  discharge.  In  his  decision, 
Mr.  Stone  said  he  could  not  reverse  the  decision  of 
Mr.  Brown  on  general  principles.  Not  because  the 
watch  stopped  and  started  again,  losing  eight  or  nine 
minutes,  causing  him  to  get  on  a    passenger    train's 


144  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

time,  but    he    must  sustain  the  decision    because  the 
engineer  did  not  flag  when  he  saw  the  train,  and  that 
he  did    n'ot   protect    himself   according    to    the  rules. 
The   committee  believed   that  had    Mr.    Cuykendall 
never  served  on  a  committee,  he  would  not  have  been 
discharged.     Mr.   Stone's  decision  is  what  every  en- 
gineer   expects    for    violation    of    rules.       We    only 
cite  this  case  to  show  the    liability  of  the    engineer, 
and  the  extremely  narrow  path  he  must  walk  to  keep 
his  position.     It  will  also  serve  for  contrast  in  the  fu- 
ture conduct  of  this  company,  in  violating  every  prin- 
ciple enunciated  in  this  decision.     Mr.  Cuykendall  was 
still  a  member  of  the  General  Grievance  Committee, 
and    on  receiving  Mr.    Stone's  decision,  he  resigned. 
The  committee  asked  Mr.  Stone  to  give  him   a  letter, 
which  he  readily  did,  stating  cause  of  dismissal,  and 
requesting  whom  it  may  concern  to  write  to  him  for 
reference,  as  to  character  and  ability,  and  he  also  gave 
him  a  pass  over  the  Burlington.     If  his  membership 
on  the  Grievance  Committee  did  not  influence  the  de- 
cision, and  was  in  line  with  the  Burlington's  strict  dis- 
cipline only,  Mr.  Stone's  action  was  more  than  usually 
considerate.     The  Burlington  rule,  as  has  been  stated 
before,  is  that  passes  are  not  to  be  given  to  suspended 
or    discharged  employes;  and   usually  when  the  dis- 
charged employe  asks  for  a  letter,  he  is  told  by  the  of- 
ficial, "  You  can  refer  to  me  when  you  find  a  place." 
Mr.  Cuykendall  went  to  the  general  manager  of  the 
Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific,  and  received  a  letter 
from  Mr.  St.  John,  which  secured  him  a  place  without 
much  delay.     The  extenuating  circumstances  in  this 
case,  no  doubt  influenced  Mr.  Stone  to  give  the  letter 


JOINT  COMMITTEE  SEEKING  AN  INTERVIEW.       1 45 

and  pass,  and  perhaps  secured  a  place  for  Mr.  Cuy- 
kendall  with  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific;  still 
it  would  seem  that  if  he  was  a  good  man  for  Mr.  St. 
John,  he  ought  to  be  for  Mr.  Stone. 

Mr.  Merrill,  general  manager  of  the  Kansas  City, 
St.  Joseph  &  Council  Bluff,  and  Hannibal  &  St.  Jo- 
seph Divisions,  and  Mr.  Besler,  general  superintend- 
ent of  the  Illinois  lines,  were  present  at  this  meeting, 
and  the  subject  matter  which  had  convened  the  com- 
mittee was  taken  up.  Complaint  was  made  of  the 
violation  of  the  rules  of  1886  by  the  local  officers. 
After  considerable  discussion  upon  the  subject,  Mr. 
Stone  said  he  was  glad  the  committee  had  come,  that 
he  was  going  to  make  some  changes  in  the  divisions  of 
the  road,  and  he  would  run  the  engines  from  Gales- 
burg  to  Hawthorne,  the  freight  yard  in  the  suburb  of 
Chicago.  He  said  he  expected  it  would  make  some 
dissatisfaction  among  the  men  and  they  could  settle  the 
whole  thing  at  once.  The  reason  he  expected  dissatis- 
faction was:  The  men  lived  in  Aurora,  and  to  run 
through  Aurora  to  Hawthorne  would  oblige  them  to 
move  to  Galesburg,  unless  thev  would  allow  the  crews 
to  change  at  Aurora  and  the  same  engine  go  through. 
A  protest  was  entered,  not  against  the  engines  run- 
ning from  Galesburg  to  Chicago,  but  against  being 
compelled  to  move  away  from  Aurora.  In  discussing 
the  schedule  presented,  the  chairman,  Mr.  Hoge,  told 
Mr.  Stone  that  they  wanted  the  pay  fixed  on  the  mile- 
age basis.  Mr.  Stone  answered  that  he  did  not  have 
authority  to  make  a  full  settlement  for  the  whole  sys- 
tem, until  he  could  hear  from  Mr.  Perkins.  He  then 
asked  if  the  committee  would  grant  him  two  days  to 


IjJ.6  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

look  over  the  schedule  and  confer  with  his  subordi- 
nates. This  was  granted.  Mr.  Hoge  asked  Mr.  Stone 
if  he  would  meet  the  grand  officers,  and  he  said  he 
would.  The  business  arrangements  being  completed, 
the  committee  retired.  Mr.  Stone,  and  the  official 
force  at  hand,  immediately  set  to  work  preparing  the 
printed  circular  letter  so  widely  circulated  later.  They 
succeeded  admirably  in  showing  up  their  side  of  the 
question;  but  one  very  grave  oversight  in  the  business  of 
the  committee,  which  future  developments  proved,  was 
not  preparing  themselves  with  counter  proof  showing 
the  justice  of  their  position.  While  we  are  waiting 
for  Mr.  Stone  to  secure  the  authority  he  lacked,  let  us 
look  at  this  letter  with  the  light  let  in  on  both  sides  of 
the  controversy.  We  shall  see  that  this  letter,  prepar- 
ed with  such  care  and  in  such  elegance,  was  not  intend- 
ed for  the  eye  of  the  engineers  and  firemen  only.  It 
is  evident  it  was  intended  for  the  use  to  which  it  was 
put.  It  was  an  appeal  to  the  public.  It  was  full  of 
half  truths  well  put  and  plausibly  argued.  It  was  evident 
that  they  did  not  dream  of  concessions  to  these  protest- 
ing employes.  The  pamphlet  contained  twenty-four 
pages  purporting  to  be  a  candid  appeal  to  these  dis- 
affected men.  It  was  filled  with  statements  that  were 
grossly  unjust  to  the  men  and  misleading  to  the  public. 
We  invite  the  reader  to  take  a  walk  through  it  with'  a 
lantern  in  his  hand.     Its  title  page  was  a  bold  one. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

THE  CIRCULAR    LETTER  ANSWERED. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  the  strike  did  not  occur 
until  February  27,  and  considerable  time  must  have 
been  consumed  in  the  preparation  of  this  document. 
It  gives  a  statement  of  wages  paid  first,  second  and 
third  year,  on  166  different  runs  and  conditions;  four 
pages  of  this  elaborate  document  are  given  to  discus- 
sion of  the  company's  side  of  the  question,  and  giving 
a  highly  colored  representation  of  wages  paid,  stating 
what  men  were  paid  without  telling  how  much  work 
was  done  for  it.     Below  is  a  copy  of  the  title  page. 

LETTER 

TO 

Engineers  and  Firemen 

EMPLOYED   ON   THE 

Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad, 

Burlington  &  Missouri  River  Railroad  in  Nebraska, 

Hannibal  &  St.  Joseph  Railroad, 

Kansas  City,  St.  Joseph  &  Council  Bluffs  Railroad, 

Chicago  &  Iowa  Railroad. 


Chicago,  February  22,  1888. 


It  is  evident  they  had  two  objects  in  view.     One  to 
dishearten  any  of  the  old  men  who  might  be  weak,  and 


I48  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

to  induce  them  to  stay  with  the  company.  But  the  main 
object  was  to  bias  public  opinion,  and  there  is  no  doubt 
that  it  did  very  powerfully  and  erroneously  affect  the 
general  reader.  It  was  evidently  intended  for  the 
newspapers,  and  to  them  it  went,  and  thousands 
read  it  and  formed  opinions  that  to  this  day  have  re- 
mained unchanged.  We  propose  to  pay  our  respects 
to  this  document,  and  we  shall  leave  the  reader  to 
characterize  it  after  he  shall  have  seen  it  dissected. 

This  document  starts  out  by  saying :  A  committee 
of  your  number  presented,  on  February  15,  1888,  for- 
our  consideration,  a  schedule,  marked  "  A,"  attached 
hereto,  providing  for  a  new  basis  and  rate  of  pay  for 
enginemen.  The  schedule  marked  "B,"  also  at- 
tached, gives  rules  of  April  1, 1886,  governing  the  pay 
of  engineers  and  firemen  in  force  upon  all  lines,  and  also 
the  schedule  of  wages  for  the  C,  B.  &  Q.  proper. 
The  important  changes  which  your  committee  sug- 
gests are  as  follows : 

"  '  1st.  Pay  to  be  governed  solely  by  the  miles  run, 
without  regard  to  other  conditions  or  circumstances," 

"  '  2nd.  A  large  average  increase  in  existing  rates  of 
pay.'" 

"  '  3rd.  The  abolition  of  any  classification  based  upon 
length  of  service,  age,  or  experience."' 

You  are  requested  to  carefully  consider  the , follow- 
ing objections  to  these  suggestions: 

"  1  st.  That  our  present  basis  is  in  force  upon  many 
important  railroads  in  this  country,  and  is  preferred 
because  it  is  the  best  one  to  fairly  provide  for  differ- 
ences in  the  amount  of  labor,  time  and  responsibility  re- 
quired of  enginemen  upon  different  runs  and  divisions." 


THE  CIRCULAR  LETTER  ANSWERED.  1 49 

"  A  branch  passenger  engine  hauling  two  or  three 
cars  where  there  are  two  trains  each  way  daily,  is 
more  easily  handled  than  an  important  main  line  pas- 
senger engine  where  there  are  twenty  or  more  trains 
each  way." 

"  A  branch  freight  engine  hauling  eight  or  ten  cars, 
with  easy  and  regular  hours,  and  by  daylight,  de- 
mands less  labor  from  enginemen  than  an  engine  on 
the  main  line  with  a  heavy  freight  train,  although  the 
mileage  may  be  the  same." 

"The  trip  basis,  in  view  of  all  the  varying  condi- 
tions, covers  value  received.  An  arbitrary  mileage 
basis  disregards  the  value  of  the  service  rendered,  and 
in  the  long  run,  we  fear,  would  be  unsatisfactory  to 
the  men  and  to  the  company."     For  example: 

"  On  the  Galesburg  Division  of  the  C,  B.  &  Q. 
railroad,  an  engineer  on  a  light  passenger  run  of  two 
cars  between  Buda  and  Vermont,  under  the  present 
schedule  earns  in  twenty-six  (26)  days,  $123.50,  and 
the  fireman  $74.10;  under  the  schedule  which  you 
propose  the  engineer  would  receive  $171.08,  and  the 
fireman  $102.64." 

One  hundred  miles  constitutes  a  day's  work  on  all 
roads,  and  the  run  being  188  miles,  the  enginemen  run 
4888  miles  in  the  twenty-six  days,  and  consequentlv 
work  48  and  2-5  days  to  earn  $123.50,  and  the  tire- 
men  $74.10.  Had  this  letter  been  for  the  purpose  of 
discussing  the  issue  with  the  enginemen,  the  question 
of  miles  would  certainly  have  entered  into  the  discus- 
sion.    Again  they  say: 

"  Upon  the  first  division  of  the  Cheyenne  branch  on 
the  Burlington  &  Missouri  River  railroad,  a  passenger 


150  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

train  of  three  cars,  requiring  six  hours  and  ten  minutes 
daily,  is  paying  under  the  existing  schedule,  to  engin- 
eers, $144.00  per  month.  Upon  your  schedule  it 
would  pay  $189.00  per  month." 

Here  again  is  188  miles  to  run  every  day  for  thirty 
days  in  the  month  to  get  this  $144.00,  fifty-four  days' 
work    at    $2.66  per  day.       We    now    come    to    the 
"Villisca  branch: 

"  On  the  Kansas  City,  St.  Joseph  &  Council  Bluff's 
railroad,  on  the  run  from  Villisca  to  St  Joseph  and 
return,  under  the  present  schedule  the  engineer  earns 
for  .a  month  of  twenty-six  (26)  days,  $143.00,  and  the 
firemen  $72.80.  Upon  the  schedule  which  you  pro- 
pose the  engineer  would  receive  $199.29  and  the  fire- 
man $119.60.  This  is  a  three-car  run,  the  engineer 
and  fireman  returning  home  every  night;  it  is  also  a 
daylight  run." 

To  earn  this  money,  the  enginemen  run  219  miles 
each  day,  twenty-six  days  in  the  month,  5694  miles, 
nearly  fifty-seven  (57)  days'  work!  Was  the  distance 
omitted  to  fool  the  engineers  and  firemen  to  whom  it 
was  addressed,  or  to  mislead  the  public?  This  letter 
then  quotes: 

"  On  the  Chicago  &  Iowa  railroad,  a  light  passenger 
run  between  Rockford  and  Aurora,  which  occupies 
four  hours  and  fifty  minutes  in  making  the  round  trip, 
which  leaves  the  engineer  at  home  every  night  and 
every  Sunday,  and  gives  him  the  greater  part  of  each 
day  to  himself,  pays  the  engineer  at  present  $104.00 
per  month.  Under  the  schedule  which  you  propose 
this  run  would  pay  $134.68  per  month,  which  is  out 
of  all  proportion." 


THE  CIRCULAR  LETTER  ANSWERED.  151 

Here  is  one  hundred  and  forty-eight  (148)  miles  to 
run  every  day,  and  instead  of  four  hours  and  fifty  min- 
utes, the  train  leaves  at  6:55  a.  m.,  and  returns  at  8:35 
p.  m.,  thirteen  hours  and  a  half;  3848  miles  in  the 
twenty-six  days,  or  thirty-eight  and  one-half  day's 
work.  This  letter  to  the  engineers  and  firemen  closes 
these  astounding  statements  with  the  remarks  that: 

"  The  above  examples  illustrate  that  some  light  runs 
are  paid  high  at  present  in  proportion  to  the  heavy 
runs,  where  most  of  the  men  are  employed.  Other 
similar  cases  can  be  given  to  show  that  your  schedule 
would  create  high  paid  runs,  and  that  it  disregards 
what  is  reasonable  to  the  company,    and  fair  to  the 


men." 


I  have  before  me  a  book  containing  the  schedules 
of  over  sixty  railroads,  of  which  forty-six  Contain  a 
clause  which  says:  "  One.  hundred  miles,  or  less,  con- 
stitutes a  day.  All  over  one  hundred  miles  will  be 
paid  for  at  regular  rate  per  mile."  Three  of  the 
other  fourteen  which  pay  by  the  trip,  namely:  the 
Southern  Pacific,  the  Denver  &  Rio  Grande,  and  the 
St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco,  base  their  pay  per  trip,  on 
the  number  of  miles  at  three  and  one-half  and  four  cents 
per  mile,  the  Southern  Pacific  paying  as  high  as  $7-25 
a  trip.  The  Denver  and  Rio  Grande  for  two  hundred 
and  seven  (207)  miles  paying  $7.90  on  passen- 
ger train.  There  is  no  condition  in  any  of  these 
which  specifies  three  cars  or  six,  as  requring  less  pay 
or  more.  We  find  better  prices  paid  by  the  trip  on 
the  New  York  and  the  New  England  railway — a  Bos- 
ton road — than  Mr.  Stone  was  willing  to  concede,  viz: 
one    hundred  and    eleven   miles  run.     Hartford    and 


1^2  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

Fishkill,  on  Hudson,  $3.75  also;  Hartford,  Manchester 
&  Fishkill,  one  hundred  and  twenty  (120)  miles,  $4.00. 
Putnam  to  Hartford  and  return,  one  hundred  and 
twelve  (112)  miles,  $3.75.  The  first  two  are  through 
trains,  the  last  a  local. 

Let  us  compare  some  runs  on  other  roads  with 
Mr.  Stone's  main  line  fast  mail,  which  is  second  to 
none  in  importance,  as  they  are  liable  to  $500  forfeit  if 
the  connections  are  missed.  He  pays  from  Aurora  to 
Galesburg,  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  (125)  miles, 
$3.75,  while  if  he  paid  the  New  York  and  the  New 
England  rate,  he  would  pay  $4.22.  The  local  turn- 
around run  of  one  hundred  and  twelve  (112)  miles, 
New  York  and  New  England,  pays  $3.75.  The  Bur- 
lington pays  from  Aurora  to  Streator  and  return,  one 
hundred  and  twenty  (120)  miles,  $3.65.  If  Mr.  Stone 
paid  the  same  rate  as  the  New  York  and  the  New 
England,  this  run  would  bring  $4.00.  On  the  Nor- 
folk and  Western  railroad,  the  pay  of  passenger  engi- 
neers is  based  on  three  cents  per  mile,  and  at  this  rate 
Mr.  Stone's  Vallisca  branch,  quoted  as  paying  $143.00 
per  month,  would  pay  $170.82.  I  find  the  pay  for 
passenger  service  from  three  cents  per  mile  up  to  four 
cents,  the  country  over,  with  a  very  few  roads  with 
such  rates  as  the  Burlington,  and  there  are  no  roads 
in  the  west  that  could  afford  to  pay  better  than  it 
could  before  the  strike. 

The  Burlington  officials  pick  out  the  best  month  in 
the  year  to  show  the  public  what  the  men  are  earning. 
Below  is  their  statement  of  earnings  per  month,  of  en- 
ginemen  on  the  C,  B.  &  Q.,  who  worked  during  the 
whole  month,  taken  from  the  rolls  of  November,  1887  : 


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THE  CIRCULAR  LETTER  ANSWERED.  1 53 

ENGINEERS.  FIREMEN. 

NO.  MEN.  AV.RATE.  NO.    MEN.  AV.  RATE. 


Chicago  Division, 

77 

$105.10 

94 

$55-95 

Galesburg      " 

68 

113-56 

77 

63-34 

St.  Louis        " 

3i 

115.29 

37 

60.63 

East  Iowa      " 

26 

110.69 

33 

58.22 

Middle  Iowa  " 

36 

126.43 

23 

76.37 

West  Iowa    " 

5o 

128.76 

53 

72-5i 

Now,  if  we  analyze  this  statement,  we  find  that  the 
firemen  get  in  proportion  to  engineers'  pay: 

On  Chicago  Division,  65       per  cent. 

"  Galesburg     "  67 

"  St.  Louis      "  63 

"  E.  Iowa        "  68 

"  M.  Iowa       "  38^ 

"  W.  Iowa      "  59^ 

On  the  Middle  Iowa  Division  the  engineers  must 
have  fired  for  themselves  part  of  the  time,  as  there 
were  fewer  firemen  by  thirteen,  and  the  total  earned 
by  them  was  only  38^  per  cent  of  the  engineers' 
earnings.  We  must  conclude  without  further  discus- 
sion, that  this  list  was  made  up  for  effect;  the  schedule 
all  through,  on  the  average,  showing  the  firemens'  pay 
at  fifty-eight  per  cent  of  the  engineers'. 

The  third  paragraph  of  this  circular  letter  says :  "At 
present  we  have  one  rate  of  pay  for  engineers  just 
promoted  from  firemen,  which  continues  one  year. 
In  the  second  year  of  service  as  engineer  an  advance 
in  pay  is  given.  On  the  expiration  of  the  second 
year  a  further  advance  to  full  pay  is  given.  The 
schedule  proposed  by  the  engineers'  committee  does 
away  with  this  classification  and  insists  upon  full  pav 

11^ 


154  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

for  every  man  as  soon  as  he  runs  an  engine."  No,  Sir! 
Not  full  pay  for  every  man  as  soon  as  he  runs  an 
engine,  but  full  pay  as  soon  as  the  Burlington  com- 
pany puts  him  forward  as  a  capable  and  safe  man  to 
be  entrusted  with  a  train  valuable  in  property  and  life. 
If  fully  trusted  to  do  the  most  difficult  work,  why  not 
full  pay  ?  That  is  a  question  often  asked,  but  never 
yet  answered.  If  an  answer  had  been  within  the  ho- 
rizon when  this  circular  was  indited,  the  powerful  im- 
agination of  its  authors  would  have  brought  it  in.  Ca- 
pable and  safe,  means  perfect,  and  if  he  is  that,  why  de- 
grade him  in  his  pay  ? 

"The  classification  arranging  for  lower  pay  for  be- 
ginners is  in  force  in  other  branches  of  service.  There 
is  no  complaint  about  this  system  from  any  of  the  C, 
B.  &  Q.  employes,  except  engineers.  There  seems  to 
be  no  explanation  offered  that  the  classification  of 
which  you  complain  is  not  as  applicable  to  the  en- 
ginemen  as  to  other  employes." 

The  fact  that  brakemen  and  conductors  work  for 
their  first  six  months  at  less  than  full  rate,  is  not  prop- 
erly classification ;  it  is  an  apprenticeship  to  which  no 
class  of  laborers  would  object  for  a  moment.  To  com- 
pare the  probationary  work  of  the  engineers  with  that 
of  brakemen  and  conductors  and  call  them  similar,  as 
does  the  circular  letter,  is  not  only  ridiculous  to  those 
who  know  better,  but  it  is  misleading  to  those  who  do 
not.  It  shows  the  want  of  candor  in  the  writer,  and 
of  equity  in  their  cause.  It  is  a  mode  of  attempting  to 
make  public  sentiment,  for  which  its  authors  must  have 
felt  ashamed  in  the  dark  for  having  committed  treason 
against  justice  and  logic.     It  makes  the  false  issue  that 


THE  CIRCULAR  LETTER  ANSWERED.  1 55 

while  engineers  complain  of  classification  for  them- 
selves, they  do  not  complain  of  it  as  to  brakemen  and 
conductors,  while  the  fact  is  that  classification  as  it  has 
been  forced  upon  engineers,  has  never  been  applied  to 
brakemen  and  conductors  and  the  authors  of  this  cir- 
cular knew  it. 

"  To  mass  all  engineers  into  one  common  body  and 
pay  all  alike,  taking  no  account  of  superior  abil- 
ity or  intelligence,  seems  to  us  unjust  and  unfair,  and 
in  direct  opposition  to  the  spirit  of  the  times  we  live 
in,  which  tends  to  assure  to  each  man  whatever  re- 
wards are  due  to  his  own  abilities  and  skill,  and  not  to 
produce  caste,  all  members  of  which  are  on  the  same 

level." 

Let  me  quote  from  the  Burlington  schedule  of  pay, 
and  show  who  creates  caste,  and  whether  ability  is 
recognized  and  rewarded:  "A  passenger  train  be- 
tween Aurora  and  Galesburg,  one  hundred  and  twen- 
ty-five miles,  pays : 

FIRST  YEAR.  SECOND   YEAR.  THIRD  YEAR. 

Engineers,  $2.75  $3.25  $3.75 

Firemen,  1.85  2.00  2.15 

Is  it  caste  to  say  that  one  man  doing  an  equal 
amount  of  work  shall  do  it  for  one  dollar  less  than  an- 
other ?  Is  it  rewarding  ability  ?  Does  he  have  the 
ability  ?  If  not,  why  should  the  schedule  quote  a  third- 
class  man  in  first-class  service  ?  The  position  is  posi- 
tively inconsistent.  If  they  are  not  equal  to  the  ser- 
vice, they  have  no  business  in  it;  yet  the  schedule 
shows  they  are,  and  we  know  they  are.  The  reason 
why  there  are  not  more  third-class  men  running  pas- 
senger engines  is  because  the  engineers  have  demanded 


156  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

that    the  oldest  in  the    service  shall  have  the  prefer- 
ence of  runs. 

This  letter  says,  "The  spirit  of  the  times  we  live  in 
tends  to  assure  to  each  man  whatever  rewards  are 
due  to  his  own  ability  and  skill."  Let  us  follow  a  pas- 
senger train  from  Chicago  to  Quincy. 


MILES. 

1ST  VR. 

2ND  YR. 

3RD  YR. 

"IKST-CLASS. 

Aurora  to  Chicago 

Engineers 
Firemen 

77 

2-35 
I.50 

2.85 
I.70 

3-25 
1.8S 

4J2C  per  mile 

Aurora  to  Galesburg. . 

Engineers 
Firemen 

125 

2-75 

1.85 

3-=S 
2.00 

3-75 
2.15 

3c  per  mile 

Galesburg  to  Quincy . . 

Engineers 
Firemen 

100 

2-45 

1.70 

}.O0 

1.85 

3-50 

2.00 

Trains  101, 
102,  103.  104. 
3J^c  per  mile 

Galesburg  to  Quincy. . 

Engineers 
Firemen 

ICO 

2. 4O 

1.6S 

2.90 
1 -75 

3-37/4 
1.90 

Trains  105, 
106.     $3-37^ 

The  last  trains  specified,  105  and  106,  are  local  be- 
tween Galesburg  and  Quincy,  and  make  twenty-six 
(26)  stops,  making  an  average  speed  greater  than 
either  numbers  103  or  104.  Mr.  Stone  says  it  is  be- 
cause they  do  not  pull  so  many  cars,  consequently 
there  is  not  so  much  profit,  so  he  must  take  twelve  and 
one-half  cents  from  the  engineer  and  ten  cents  from 
the  fireman ;  not  because  he  lacks  ability,  nor  because 
the  risk  is  any  less  or  the  work  either,  but  that  he 
may  be  made  to  share  the  loss  or  the  difference  be- 
tween these  two  trains — one  five  or  six  cars,  the  other 
eight  or  nine  cars.  When  we  state  from  their  own 
report  of  1886,  that  the  locomotive  service  east  of  the 
Missouri  river  only  costs  one  and  nine  tenths  of  one 
per  cent  of  the  expense  account,  it  looks  ver)^  small. 
It  looks  still  more  niggardly  when  we  look  at  their  re- 
port for  1866  which  says:  "Excess  of  income  over 
operating  expenses  and  taxes,  $12,016,452.56  for  the 


THE  CIRCULAR  LETTER  ANSWERED.  1 57 

whole  line  operated  east  and  west  of  the  Missouri  riv- 


er." 


The  next  clause  in  this  letter  is  very  valuable,  as  it 
outlines  what  the  Burlington  considers  their  rights 
and  what  the  public  demands.  It  says:  "The  com- 
pany must  reserve  absolutely  the  right  to  ascertain,  by 
whatever  examinations  it  may  think  advisable,  wheth- 
er its  employes  of  all  classes  are  capable  of  fulfilling 
the  duties  they  undertake,  and  the  public  also  demand 
that  the  railroad  company  shall  take  every  precaution 
to  employ  only  those  men  who  can  safely  perform  the 
work  entrusted  to  them."  This  is  right  unless  the  ex- 
amination is  only  meant  to  arrest  and  discharge  old  em- 
ployes, as  was  done  in  the  color-blind  test.  In  that 
matter,  as  all  know  who  know  anything  about  it,  the 
men  were  tested  with  all  the  various  and  delicate 
shades  of  color  so  that  an  expert  in  colors  would  hard- 
ly pass.  Our  engineers  of  the  first  and  second  years 
held  in  regular  work,  but  with  inferior  pay,  have  re- 
quested any,  reasonable  examination,  but  could  not 
obtain  it.  The  best  of  work  was  required  for  two 
years  at  degraded  rates  of  pay,  while  steadily  refusing 
a  fair  examination  as  to  ability  and  skill  with  reference 
to  promotion,  and  this  by  a  company  that  is  laboring 
to  prevent  others  from  creating  caste.  Now  read  the 
evidence  taken  before  the  Illinois  and  Iowa  railroad 
commissioners  concerning  the  kind  of  men  which  later 
took  charge  of  the  company's  property,  and  its  pat- 
rons' lives,  without  a  particle  of  either  qualification  or 
examination,  and  the  authors  of  this  circular  are  "hoisted 
on  their  own  petard."  This  letter  closes  with  these 
words:  "In  conclusion,  we  would  say  that,  while  we 


I58  THE  BURLINGTON  STRIKE. 

cannot  see  our  way  to  accepting  your  committee's  pro- 
posals, we  expect  to  pay  as  much  as  our  neighbors  for 
similar  services,  and  we  are  ready  at  any  time  to  take 
up  the  question  of  wages  and  adjust  any  inequalities 
in  our  schedule  that  may  be  shown  to  exist.  We  can- 
not, however,  attempt  to  adopt  a  basis  which  says 
that  one  100-mile  run  should  be  paid  the  same  as  an- 
other 100-mile  run,  regardless  of  the  effort  and  ability 
required  and  the  difficulties  to  be  overcome  on  each- 
Believing  as  we  do,  that  these  are  matters  of  great  im- 
portance, we  will  print  for  distribution  copies  of  this 
communication,  so  that  these  questions  may  be  fully 
considered  by  all  concerned." 
Yours   Truly, 

Henry  B.  Stone, 

General  Manager,  C,  B.  &  Q.  R.  R. 

H.    S.   HOLDRIGE, 

General  Manager,  B.  &  M.  R.  R.  R.  in  Neb. 
W.  F.  Merrill, 
General  Manager,  H.  &  St.  J.  R.  R.  and  K.  C,  St.  J. 
&  C.  B.  R.  R. 

H.  D.  Judson, 
General  Superintendent,  C.  &  I.  R.  R. 

"  We  expect  to  pay  as  much  as  our  neighbors  for 
similar  services."  I  will  quote  some  of  their  neigh- 
bors: 

Chicago  &  Alton. — Passenger  service,  three  and  one- 
half  cents  per  mile.  One  hundred  miles  or  less  to  con- 
stitute a  day's  work.  Classification  is  abolished  from 
March  1,  1888. 

Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe. — No  classification : 


THE  CIRCULAR  LETTER  ANSWERED.  159 

three  and  one-half  cents  on  passenger,  and  four  cents 
per  mile  on  freight.  One  hundred  miles  or  less  make 
a  day's  work. 

Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul. — On  all  runs  of  less 
than  ninety  miles,  $3.  50  will  be  allowred.  In  case  actual 
mileage  on  such  runs  exceeds  one  hundred  miles  per 
day,  actual  mileage  will  be  allowed  at  the  rate  of 
$3.70,  three  and  seven-tenths  cents  per  mile. 

Louisville,  New  Albany  &  Chicago. — Passenger  3^ 
cents  per  mile.  Freight,  eight  (8)  wheel  engines,  4 
cents  per  mile,  and  six  (6)  wheel  with  connected  en- 
gines, 4  2-10  cents  per  mile.     No  classification. 

Union  Pacific. — $3.85,  both  freight  and  passenger, 
and  one  hundred  miles  a  day's  work. 

Wisconsin  Central. — $3. 70  per  one  hundred  miles, 
freight  and  passenger.  One  hundred  miles  a  day's 
work. 

Minnesota  &  North  Western. — same  as  Wisconsin 
Central.     No  classification. 

Wabash. — 3^  cents,  passenger;  4  cents,  freight. 
One  hundred  miles  a  day's  work.     No  classification. 

Chicago,  St.  Paul,  Minneapolis  &  Omaha. — $3.70, 
freight  and  passenger. 

Northern  Pacific— 4  cents,  freight  and  passenger. 
One  hundred  miles  or  less  a  day's  work.  No  classi- 
fication. 

Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific. — Engineers,  passen- 
ger, $3.60  per  hundred  miles;  firemen,  passenger, 
$2.15  per  hundred  miles.  On  freight,  for  one  hundred 
miles,  $4.15,  and  firemen  in  proportion. 

The  engineers  on  fast  mail,  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy,  125  miles  per  day,  receive  $97.50  for  26  days' 


l6o  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

time.  The  engineers  on  the  Chicago  &  North  Western 
railroad,  for  the  same  service,  receive  $120.00.  No 
proof  is  necessary  to  show  that  men  are  not  rewarded  in 
accordance  with  merit  and  ability,  which  Mr.  Stone  says 
the  spirit  of  the  times  demands.  It  is  never  ability  on 
the  Burlington,  but  time,  that  advances  the  engineer's 
pay.  If  the  engineer  just  promoted  has  the  ability, 
why  should  he  be  kept  at  reduced  pay  if  it  is  ability 
that  is  to  be  rewarded  ?  And  if  the  older  engineers 
have  ability  equal  to  the  North  Western  engineers, 
why  should  not  this  ability  be  recognized,  and  be  paid 
as  much  ? 

These  quotations  prove  that  the  Burlington  pays 
less  than  its  neighbors,  and  yet  it  is  the  best  able  to 
pay — or  was  at  that  time.  It  is  easy  to  see  that  there  was 
no  intention  to  make  a  settlement.  The  officers  had 
made  up  their  minds  to  fight  it  out  and  win  laurels  for 
great  generalship,  not  considering  the  interests  of  the 
"  10,000  stockholders  in  Illinois  alone." 1  The  Lon- 
don advertisement,  in  November,  with  its  false  repre- 
sentations, and  the  advertisements  in  New  York, 
Pittsburg  and  Philadelphia,  as  early  as  the  26th  of 
February,  are  ample  proof  of  what  was  intended, 
so  that  all  the  negotiations  were  only  a  means  of  mak- 
ing time  for  the  Burlington  officials  to  be  better  pre- 
pared. Here  is  an  event  of  the  day  before  the  strike : 
"Reading,  Pa.,  February  26,  1888.  It  is  learned  here 
to-night  that  an  agent  of  the  Burlington  has  been  in 
this  vicinity  for  several  days,  recruiting  striking  engi- 
neers and  firemen  from  the  Reading  road,  whose 
places  were  taken  by  Brotherhood  men." 2 

1  Railroad  Commissioners'  report.  2  Kansas  City  Journal,  Associated  Press 

report. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

THE    END    OF    NEGOTIATIONS. 

Grand  Chief,  P.  M.  Arthur,  and  Grand  Master,  F. 
P.  Sargent,  with  a  joint  committee  of  engineers  and 
firemen,  were  in  Chicago  on  February  15,  to  meet  an 
engagement  with  the  officials  of  the  Chicago  &  Alton 
railroad,  on  Friday,  the  17th  of  February,  1888. 
This  committee  had  presented  a  joint  schedule,  sim- 
ilar to  that  formulated  by  the  Burlington  committee, 
asking  for  the  abolition  of  classification  and  the  adop- 
tion of  the  mileage  basis  of  pay.  After  two  half  days 
of  consultation,  their  schedule  was  accepted  and 
signed.  It  is  rather  strange  that  the  Chicago  &  Alton 
found  so  little  that  was  objectionable  in  this,  and  the 
Burlington  found  so  much.  While  Messrs.  Arthur 
and  Sargent  were  in  Chicago  on  this  business,  the 
Burlington  committee  advised  with  them  in  relation  to 
their  committee  work,  and  were  instructed  by  the  two 
grand  officers  how  to  proceed,  and  were  told,  if  they 
failed  to  come  to  an  understanding  that  they  should 
send  for  them  and  they  would  add  their  efforts  to 
those  of  the  committee, 

On  the  17th,  Chairman  Hoge  received  a  letter  from 
General  Manager  Stone,  appointing  10:00  a.  m.,  Sat- 
urday, February  18,  for  a  meeting  with  the  committee 
at  the  Burlington  General  Office.  The  committee 
had  been  in  Chicago  twenty  days.  The  first  seven- 
teen were  consumed  in  an  effort  to  procure  an  audi- 


1 62  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

ence,  and  the  next  three  they  were  waiting  for  the 
Burlington  officials  to  prepare  their  famous  letter. 
On  arriving  at  headquarters  they  met  General  Man- 
ager Stone,  of  the  Illinois  lines,  General  Manager 
Holdridge,  of  the  Burlington  &  Missouri,  and  General 
Manager  Merrill,  of  the  Kansas  City,  St.  Joseph  &  ■ 
Council  Bluffs,  and  Hannibal  &  St.  Joseph  roads,  and 
General  Superintendent  Besler.  The  only  business  of 
importance  at  this  meeting  was  the  presenting  to  the 
committee  the  carefully  prepared  document  containing 
the  schedules  and  rules  of  1886  and  1888,  as  shown 
in  chapter  xxvn.  They  were  asked  to  look  it  over 
and  consider  it.  There  was  great  skill  in  the  prepa- 
ration of  this  document,  and  no  doubt  the  officials 
would  have  been  highly  pleased  if  it  had  created  a 
division  in  the  ranks  of  the  committee,  for  which  no 
doubt  they  hoped.  The  committee  accepted  the  cir- 
cular letter,  and  adjourned  to  meet  at  their  own  quar- 
ters, not  that  they  expected  to  find  anything  in  it  to 
change  their  minds,  but  they  could  hardly  do  other- 
wise with  reasonable  civility.  They  saw  in  it  time — 
the  dragging  along  of  the  issue  without  meeting  it. 
There  is  not  much  doubt  that  this  document  was  in- 
tended to  do  demoralizing  work  in  the  committee,  and 
if  it  should  fail  in  this,  then  to  use  it,  as  they  did  use 
it,  to  bias  public  opinion.  There  was  no  evidence  of  a 
disposition  to  meet  the  men  and  discuss  the  points  at 
issue;  but  every  move  by  Mr.  Stone  called  for  time. 
Each  day  of  delay  brought  a  warmer  sun,  and  drove 
jack  frost — the  known  enemy  of  ignorant  engineers, — 
farther  away.  The  committee  were  becoming  disgusted 
with    procrastinating  evasions,    and  after  considering 


THE    END    OF    NEGOTIATIONS.  1 63 

the  circular  letter,  and  seeing  no  point  in  it  where  the 
company  proposed  any  reform,  they  concluded  to  no- 
tify President  Perkins  that  unless  an  audience  was 
given  the  committee  in  three  days,  the  men  would  stop 
work.  A  message  was  received  from  Mr.  Stone  at 
6: 00  p.  m.  saying  he  would  meet  the  committee  on  the 
following  Monday,  February  20,  at  3 :  00  p.  m. 

On  Monday  the  two  chairmen,  Messrs.  Hoge  and 
Murphy,  were  sent  by  the  committee  to  see  Mr.  Stone 
and  tell  him  they  would  limit  the  time  to  three  days  in 
which  to  sfive  them  due  consideration.  Chairman 
Hoge  said  Mr.  Stone  became  very  indignant,  but  told 
them  he  could  not  settle  until  he  heard  from  Mr.  Per- 
kins. 

On  Tuesday,  February  21,  Mr.  Stone  sent  word  to 
the  committee  saying  he  would  meet  them,  but  that 
he  had  not  heard  from  Mr.  Perkins.  Mr.  Stone  final- 
ly obtained  the  authority,  and  the  committee  met  him 
on  Wednesday,  February  22,  at  11:00  A.  m.  After 
the  usual  courtesy  Mr.  Stone  opened  the  subject  by 
making  objections  to  some  of  the  articles  in  the  pro- 
posed rules.  Mr.  Stone  did  not  seem  to  understand 
them  as  they  were  intended,  and  the  chairman  ex- 
nlained  them.  Mr.  Stone  said  that  if  the  committee 
had  considered  the  matter  and  could  see  any  certain 
article  in  the  schedule  in  any  different  light  he  was 
ready  to  listen.  The  committee  readily  understood 
the  import  of  this  remark  from  wrord  and  manner,  and 
the  chairman  told  Mr.  Stone  they  were  of  the  same 
mind  as  when  they  last  met.  Mr.  Stone  then  said,  "If 
that  is  the  case  we  cannot  make  a  settlement,  as  there 
are  things  in  the  schedule  which  I  could  not  allow." 


164  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

No  effort  was  made  to  discuss  them  separately,  in  an 
effort  to  come  to  an  understanding,  and  the  committee 
retired  and  sent  for  Messrs.  Arthur  and  Sargent  to 
come  immediately,  saying  that  they  had  done  all  in 
their  power  to  come  to  some  understanding  and  with- 
out result.  These  gentlemen  arrived  on  an  early 
morning  train,  February  23,  met  with  joint  committee 
and  found  that  they  had,  in  anticipation  of  the  neces- 
sity, obtained  the  vote  of  the  whole  system  on  the 
subject  of  the  controversy,  and  as  the  vote  had  been 
so  unanimous  for  the  committee  to  stand  their  ground 
until  they  had  obtained  some  substantial  concessions, 
nothing  was  left  them  but  to  proceed  with  the  effort. 
At  10:00  a.  m.  the  committee,  headed  by  the  lead- 
ing men  of  their  respective  orders,  proceeded  to  the 
Burlington  headquarters.  On  entering  they  found 
assembled  Vice-President  Peasly,  General  Manager 
Holdridge,  General  Manager  Merrill,  together  with  a 
large  number  of  superintendents  and  master  mechan- 
ics. After  various  introductions  all  were  seated.  Mr. 
Stone  had  not  yet  arrived.  It  must  have  been  an 
auspicious  moment  to  the  mind  of  Mr.  Stone.  To 
have  the  superior  authority  of  a  great  railroad,  repre- 
senting as  it  does,  "property  aggregating  over  $192,- 
000,000;  the  interests  of  eleven  thousand  six  hun- 
dred and  sixty-eight  stockholders," l  and  the  employes 
of  this  vast  holding;  to  have  in  his  hands  this  vast 
power  to  be  used  for  good  or  evil,  was  indeed  a  mo- 
mentous epoch  in  a  man's  life.  The  magnitude  of 
this  responsibility  in  the  mind  of  a  conscientious  man 
must  weigh  heavily.  But  Mr.  Stone  weilded  a  power 
emanating  from  a  Boston  directory.     "When    slavery 

1  Railroad  Commissioners  of  111.,  1888. 


THE    END    OF    NEGOTIATIONS.  1 65 

still  wielded  its  lash,  the  merchants  of  Boston  mobbed 
William  Lloyd  Garrison,  and  hissed  Wendell  Phillips, 
because  they  cared  more  for  their  trade  with  the 
south  than  for  the  poor  slave."  1  Again,  in  this  case, 
they  cared  more  for  money  than  for  justice. 

A  few  moments  after  the  committee  were  seated, 
Mr.  Stone  entered.  An  eye  witness  says:  "His  greet- 
ing was  cordial,  yet  his  every  act  showed  that  he  was 
determined  to  make  an  obstinate  fight,  and  that  his 
answer  would  be,  now,  the  same  he  had  given  to  the 
committee  at  their  previous  meeting:  "I  give  nothing." 
A  few  preliminary  remarks  were  made  by  both  Mr. 
Arthur  and  Mr.  Sargent  and  the  work  was  taken  up 
for  which  they  had  assembled.  Article  i  was  read. 
This  article  was  discussed  for  nearly  two  hours;  prop- 
osition after  proposition  was  made  in  an  effort  to  meet 
Mr.  Stone's  objections,  but  he  was  not  in  a  mood  to  be 
suited,  and  it  was  finally  passed.  The  second  article 
was  taken  up.  This,  like  the  first,  did  not  suit  Mr. 
Stone.  Substitutes  were  offered,  but,  like  the  first 
one,  no  proposition  met  with  his  approval,  and  it  also 
was  passed.  Then  the  meeting  adjourned  for  dinner 
to  meet  at  2  :oo  p.  m.  The  two  rules,  which  by  no 
possible  means  could  be  made  to  suit  Mr.  Stone,  are 
in  force  on  nearly  all  the  trunk  lines  in  the  country, 
and  it  was  evident  he  did  not  wish  to  be  suited. 

Promptly  at  2  :oo  p.  m.  the  work  was  again  taken  up. 
Section  2  of  Article  1 1  was  read.  This,  like  the  other 
propositions,  did  not  suit  Mr.  Stone.  Mr.  Arthur  read 
rule  after  rule  which  had  been  adopted  by  other  com- 
panies, but  none  suited.  Finally,  Mr.  Stone  made  one 
himself.     Mr.  Arthur  said,  "  We  will  accept  that  Mr. 

1  Rev.  C  O.  Brown,  in  Labor  Troubles. 


l66  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

Stone."  He  replied,  "  I  did  not  mean  that  to  be  ac- 
cepted; I  want  to  consult  with  my  associates."  Gen- 
eral Managers  Holdridge  and  Merrill  recommended 
that  it  be  accepted  by  the  company;  but  Mr.  Stone 
did  not  want  his  own  proposition  after  he  had  made  it, 
and  it  was  finally  passed  without  agreement  or  action. 
The  real  intention  of  Mr.  Stone  was  evident  in  what 
followed. 

Section  i  of  Article  hi  was  read,  which  calls  for  the 
mileage  basis  for  engineers,  3%  cents  on  passenger 
and  4  cents  per  mile  on  freight  trains,  and  Mr.  Arthur 
said,  "What  do  you  say  to  that,  Mr.  Stone?"  "I  say, 
No,  Sir,  I  will  never  concede  it."  Mr.  Arthur  said: 
"  That  is  frank  of  you,  Mr.  Stone ;  when  a  man  says 
1  No,  Sir,  never,'  some  one  will  have  to  yield  or  there 
will  be  no  settlement."  Concessions  were  again 
attempted  on  Mr.  Arthur's  part,  and  rates  were  quoted 
from  other  roads.  Mr.  Arthur  proceeded  to  show  the 
number  of  roads  that  were  paying  the  rates  asked 
for  by  the  committee.  He  showed  where  the  Rock 
Island  and  Northwestern,  running  through  the  same 
region  as  that  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy 
railroad,  was  paying  more  than  was  asked  by  the 
committee,  and  more  than  90  per  cent  of  the  roads 
were  paying  what  was  asked.  He  read  a  clipping 
from  a  newspaper  which  stated  that  the  Chicago,  Bur- 
lington &  Quincy  had  over  a  million  dollars  surplus  on 
hand,  and  then  asked  Mr.  Stone  whether  the  Burling- 
ton was  not  able  to  pay  as  much  as  its  neighbors  ? 
Mr.  Stone  hesitated  a  moment,  and  answered,  "  That 
they  might  be  able  to  do  so,  but  that  the  basis  on 
which    thev   paid   their   engineers    and   firemen    was 


THE  END  OF  NEGOTIATIONS.  1 67 

working  satisfactorily  to  them,  and  they  did  not  pro- 
pose to  make  any  change." 

Mr.  Arthur,  having  exhausted  all  known  resources, 
and  seeing  that  it  was  useless  to  waste  more  time  with 
him,  then  said:  "Very  well,  Mr.  Stone,  if  you  will 
not  consider  that  proposition,  if  your  men  decide  to 
quit  work,  I  will  sanction  a  strike  on  your  road."  The 
sanction  of  Messrs.  Arthur  and  Sargent  carried  with  it 
the  support  of  all  members  of  the  Brotherhood  of  Lo- 
comotive Engineers  and  the  Brotherhood  of  Locomo- 
tive Firemen.  Neither  could  order,  but  they  could 
advise  and  consent,  and  in  the  position  of  this  joint 
committee,  it  meant  a  strike.  It  was  evident  from 
Mr.  Stone's  demeanor  that  he  was  prepared  for  the 
conflict,  as  he  evinced  no  surprise  when  Mr.  Arthur 
informed  him  what  he  might  expect.  The  committee 
withdrew,  and  on  their  way  to  the  hotel  Messrs.  Ar- 
thur and  Sargent  revolved  in  their  minds  what  further 
could  be  done  to  obviate  the  disaster  of  a  strike. 
They  knew  that  Mr.  Stone  had  been  delegated  full 
power  to  do  as  he  pleased,  but  Mr.  Arthur  thought 
that  if  President  Perkins,  who  was  still  in  the  east, 
knew  the  situation,  he  might  intervene.  Accordingly, 
Messrs.  Arthur  and  Sargent  formulated,  and  sent  the 
following  message: 

To  President  Perkins : 

"Unable  to  settle  the  grievances  of  your  engineers 
and  firemen  with  General  Manager  Stone,  men  are 
determined  to  strike.  We  want  to  prevent  it.  Will 
accept  the  same  terms  as  made  with  the  Chicago  & 
Alton,  and  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe;  three  and 
one-half  cents  per  mile  on  passenger,  four  cents  per 


1 68  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

mile    freight  service,    sixty   per    cent  for  the  firemen. 
Answer  quick! " 

No  reply  was  made  to  this  until  Friday  afternoon, 
February  24;  then  a  message  was  received  from 
President  Perkins,  stating  that  "  he  had  given  the  au- 
thority to  Mr.  Stone  to  settle  with  the  men.  He  said  he 
was  not  familiar  enough  with  the  case  to  form  an  opin- 
ion, but  he  hoped  the  men  would  do  nothing  rash;  that  he 
would  be  in  Chicago  some  time  the  next  week."  The 
coldness  and  the  indifference  embodied  in  the  wording 
of  this  message,  considering  the  importance  of  the  oc- 
casion, is  most  un-American,  and  could  only  emanate 
from  an  autocrat  in  disposition.  It  showed  utter  indif- 
ference towards  the  men  employed  upon  the  Burling- 
ton system.  The  committee,  together  with  their 
grand  officers,  had  done  all  in  their  power  to  avoid  a 
conhct,  and  there  was  nothing  left  them  but  a  digni- 
fied m  \intenance  of  their  position,  or  to  withdraw  and 
leave  th^ir  future  to  the  tender  mercies  of  a  power  that 
had  discharged  the  committee  in  1883,  and  had  de- 
manded of  its  employes  a  withdrawal  from  the 
Knights  of  Labor  in  1886. 

Grand  Chief  Arthur  reviewed  the  situation,  and 
placed  a  strike  before  them  in  its  worst  possible  form, 
showing  what  the  result  might  be.  Grand  Master 
Sargent  also  pictured  the  possible  future,  telling  them 
that  "  no  sooner  would  the  news  go  forth  that  there 
was  a  strike  inaugurated  than  men  would  come  by  the 
score  to  take  their  places;  that  even  men  bearing  the 
badges  of  their  Order  would  come  to  take  the  places 
they  would  make  vacant;  that  the  company  would  use 
every  means  in  their  power  to  defeat  them;  that  men 


J.    A.    BAUEREISEN. 


THE  END  OF  NEGOTIATIONS.  169 

who  had  become  incensed  at  the  Brotherhood  of  Lo- 
comotive Engineers  at  something  said  or  done,  would 
take  this  opportunity  to  get  revenge."  '  This  had  no 
effect  upon  their  determination  to  receive  considera- 
tion from  the  company,  or  take  the  consequences, 
whatever  they  might  be.  Nothing  was  said  by  the 
grand  officers  to  induce  the  men  to  strike,  but  they 
each  told  the  committee  that  if  they  concluded  to  do 
so,  the  men  wrould  be  paid  as  their  respective  constitu- 
tions provided — $40  per  month  for  three  months,  if  the 
strike  was  not  successful.  If  it  was,  they  would  get 
nothing;  and  that  money  would  be  raised  to  buv  or 
hire,  if  possible,  such  men  as  were  worthy.  After 
mature  deliberation  they  concluded  to  stop  work,  and 
the  time  was  set  for  fouro'clock  a.  M.,Februarv  27.  and 
the  committee  were  instructed  to  go  home  and  inform 
the  men,  and  make  all  preparation  for  what  seemed 
inevitable — a  strike.  Grand  Chief  Arthur's  instruc- 
tions wrere,  unless  otherwise  notified:  "When  the  ap- 
pointed time  arrives,  those  who  are  at  terminal  points 
will  quit,  and  those  who  are  on  the  road  with  a  train, 
will  run  the  engines  to  the  end  of  their  trip,  leave  them 
in  good  order,  go  home  and  remain  away  from  the 
company's  property,  and  commit  no  lawlessness  or 
overt  act.'*1  "  If,"  he  said,  "  we  cannot  win  this  strike 
honorably,  we  will  acknowledge  defeat."  This  ended 
the  conference.  Chairmen  Hoge  and  Murphy  re- 
mained in  Chicago,  and  the  rest  of  the  committee  de- 
parted to  carry  out  their  instructions. 

One  more  effort  was  made  by  Chairmen  Hoge  and 
Murphy  for  peace,  but  Mr.  Stone  was  as  relentless  as 
ever,  and  they  then  told  him  the  men  would  quit  in  a 

1  Living  Witness. 


I70  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

body,  at  4:00  a.  m.,  Februaiy  27.  Mr.  Stone  said: 
"Forty  per  cent  of  the  old  men  will  stay  with  the  com- 
pany." '  This  estimate  I  have  been  credibly  informed, 
came  from  the  local  officials'  estimate  of  the  men  at 
each  point  along  the  line.  It  is  hardly  to  be  doubted 
that  Mr.  Stone  was  deceived,  or  misled  by  erroneous 
information,  and  had  he  known  the  true  character 
of  the  situation,  that  instead  of  having  forty  per  cent  he 
would  have  none,  that  he  must  depend  upon  strange 
faces  and  unknown  characters  for  success;  he  would 
not  probably  have  felt  such  assurance,  nor  would  he 
have  given  at  this  last  meeting  the  answer  he  did. 
Had  Mr.  Stone  shown  any  disposition,  the  conditions 
asked  for  could  have  been  modified,  peace  would  have 
been  preserved  and  millions — not  of  Mr.  Stone's 
money — but  of  the  stockholders,  saved.  His  disposition 
and  intentions  are  very  manifest  in  the  following  in- 
terrogation by  a  reporter: 

February  26. — "The  spacious  rooms  occupied  bv 
the  general  officers  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy  railroad  company  are  generally  vacated  Sun- 
days. Yesterday  was  an  exception  to  this  rule.  The 
leading  officers  of  the  company  were  at  work  at  their 
desks,  and  hard  at  work.  Several  consultations  were 
held  during  the  day  between  General  Manager  H.  B. 
Stone;  Vice-President  J.  C.  Peasly:  General  Freight 
Agent,  E.  P.  Ripley;  General  Passenger  Agent,  Paul 
Morton ;  General  Superintendent,  J.  D.  Besler;  and  Divi- 
sion Superintendent,  Howland.  Hundreds  of  telegrams 
were  sent  out  to  the  various  points  liable  to  be  directly 
affected  by  the  strike;  a  half-dozen  stenographers 
were    kept    busy    with    important    correspondence." 

1  Chairman. 


THE  END  OF  NEGOTIATIONS.  17I 

■"General  Manager  Stone  was  closeted  about  1 1 :3o 
o'clock  with  S.  E.  Hoge,  of  the  engineers,  and  J.  H. 
Murphy  of  the  firemen.  The  conference  lasted  about 
ten  minutes,  and  when  questioned  upon  what  trans- 
pired Mr.  Stone  said:  These  men  called  upon  me  this 
morning  and  gave  me  the  first  official  notification  that 
there  would  be  a  strike.  They  asked  me  if  the  Bur- 
lington was  willing  to  meet  them  in  conference  upon 
the  points  discussed  at  the  last  meeting,  and  I  told 
them  most  emphatically,  No.  I  informed  them  that  we 
were  willing  to  consider  the  question  of  wages,  but 
did  not  care  to  talk  about  abolishing  the  system  of 
classification.  They  then  said  that  every  engineer  and 
fireman  belonging  to  their  respective  organizations 
would  strike  at  4  o'clock  tomorrow  morning.  That 
ended  the  interview"  '  (It  will  be  remembered  by  the 
reader  that  the  mileage  basis  was  what  broke  off  the 
negotiations,  and  not  classification.)  "Did  not  Chief 
Arthur  inform  you  Thursday  that  the  men  would 
strike  unless  their  request  was  complied  with!"  "No, 
he  did  not;  he  said  that  he  would  give  his  consent  to  a 
strike.  All  the  information  we  have  had  since  then 
up  to  this  forenoon  was  derived  from  the  papers." 
"Is  there  any  chance  now  of  averting  the  strike?" 
"None  whatever  unless  the  men  recede  from  their  de- 
clared intention.  We  are  making  every  preparation  in 
our  power  to  prepare  for  the  worst."  " 

When  Messrs.  Hoge  and  Murphy  met  Mr.  Stone, 
and  received  his  answer,  "Most  emphatically,  No,"  the 
last  act  was  performed,  and  the  answer  severed  all  dip- 
lomatic relations  between  these  two  powerful  factors. 
The  engineers  and  firemen,  representing  as  they  did  a 

1   5  Chicago  Tribune,  February  27,  1S88. 


%ij2  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

body  of  50,000  men,  when  they  received  the  sanction 
of  their  grand  officers,  could  not,  with  any  dignity,  re- 
cede without  having  any  of  their  requests  granted, 
when  so  many  roads  were  giving  all  and  even  more 
than  they  were  asking.  It  was  left  to  be  seen  after 
the  ultimatum  had  been  given,  whether  radical  meas- 
ures would  bring  about  what  peaceful  negotiations  had 
failed  to  effect. 

Mr.  Arthur  said:  "It  is  the  first  instance  where  I 
have  failed  to  effect  a  peaceable  settlement  of  the  griev- 
ances of  our  men  with  a  railroad  company.  Mr. 
Stone  absolutely  refused  to  meet  us  on  the  mileage 
basis;  he  would  not  touch  the  wages  question  at  all. 
I  was  willing  to  make  all  honorable  concessions,  and 
had  already  made  some  when  he  abruptly  told  me 
that  he  would  listen  to  no  proposition  to  treat  on  the 
mileage  basis.  This  of  course  ended  the  negotiations. 
Why  the  Burlington  people  decline  to  entertain  it,  they 
alone  can  explain."  In  answer  to  the  question  of  why 
they  selected  so  early  an  hour,  Mr.  Arthur  said:  "We 
selected  that  hour  because  there  are  fewer  trains  on 
the  road  at  that  time,  and  we  do  not  wish  the  travel- 
ing public  to  be  inconvenienced  any  more  than  we  can 
possibly  help.  Remember  that  this  affair  is  none  of 
our  seeking  and  I  regret  exceedingly  that  Mr.  Stone 
has  forced  us  into  it.  It  has  always  been  our  policy 
to  avoid  strife,  and  particularly  strikes.  What  we  ask 
is  that  we  are  entitled  to  the  same  consideration  by  the 
Burlington  road  that  we  have  received  from  other 
roads."  Grand  Master  Sargent  said :  "The  die  is  cast 
and  the  public  should  understand  that  it  is  not  a  move 
of  our  own  choice.     We  have  engaged  in  this  contest 


THE  END  OF  NEGOTIATIONS.  1 73 

fully  prepared.  There  will  be  no  intimidation,  but  we 
shall  claim  the  right  to  buy  any  locomotive  engineer 
that  we  please.  We  ma}'-  decide  to  go  to  a  locomotive 
engineer  and  hire  him  ourselves;  no  one  can  question 
us  that  privilege."  "Mr.  Stone  admitted  that  few  men 
could  be  pressed  into  the  service  from  Chicago  and 
based  his  hopes  upon  the  smaller  towns  and  cities 
along  the  road.  He  said  an  attempt  will  be  made  to 
press  into  the  service  the  older  and  more  experienced 
machine  shop  men.  The  company  also  expected  con- 
siderable help  from  the  firemen.  There  are  hundreds 
of  firemen,  it  is  claimed,  who  are  competent  to  run  a 
locomotive  engine,  who  would  jump  at  the  chance  to 
secure  a  good  job."  ' 

The  Burlington  management  had  said  in  their  circu- 
lar letter  that  the  public  demanded  that  the  railroad 
company  should  take  every  precaution  to  employ  only 
those  men  who  can  safely  perform  the  work  entrusted 
to  them.  What  a  sudden  change!  They  refused  to 
modify  the  tests  for  fear  they  would  employ  some  one 
not  up  to  their  standard.  Then  within  a  week,  we  find 
them  groping  in  the  dark,  with  a  bid  for  all  comers, 
without  regard  to  kind  or  character,  giving  a  glad 
welcome  to  the  refuse  from  all  other  railroads,  as  well 
as  from  their  own.  Local  committees  were  appointed 
by  the  general  grievance  committee  men,  at  each 
point  along  the  whole  line,  and  they  were  instructed 
to  enter  the  field  on  the  principle  enunciated  by  Mr. 
Stone  in  1886 — "supply  and  demand;"  and  to  per- 
suade, if  possible,  or  hire  if  necessary.  That  honor- 
able warfare  was  confined  to  the  side  of  the  striking  men 
the  following  pages  must  convince  the  most  sceptical. 

1  Interview  with  Tribune  reporter,  February  26,  1888 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

THE    BURLINGTON  STRIKE. 

The  difference  between  the  Burlington  managers 
and  the  engineers  and  firemen  employed  on  the  system 
was  chiefly  in  this:  that  the  enginemen  asked  for  a 
change  of  the  basis  of  wages  from  the  trip  to  the  mile- 
age ,plan,  and  the  managers  refused  to  make  any 
change. 

The  ultimatum  was  given  on  Feb.  22,  1888,  leav- 
ing the  Brotherhood  the  alternative  of  retreating  from 
its  position,  or  of  endeavoring  to  enforce  its  request 
by  a  strike.  The  latter  alternative  was  adopted  by  the 
two  orders  of  engineers  and  firemen.  The  men  of  the 
grievance  committee  were  instructed  to  return  to  their 
respective  constituents  along  the  line,  and  notify  them 
that  unless  the  managers  had  consented  to  treat  with 
them  before  4  o'clock  a.  m.,  Feb.  27,  every  man  should 
leave  his  engine  on  arriving  at  its  terminal  point. 
Meanwhile  the  managers  were  making  preparations 
for  the  coming  conflict.  The  enginemen  hearing  noth- 
ing from  them  at  the  appointed  time  vacated  their  pla- 
ces over  the  whole  Burlington  system,  six  thousand 
miles  of  road.  Manager  Stone  said,  "Only  one  man 
of  the  whole  2000  remained." 

The  company  was  unusually  active  on  Saturday 
and  Sunday  clearing  the  tracks  and  getting  everything 
passible  to  its  destination.  The  men  were  as  obedient 
to  order,  and  as  careful  of  the  company's  interests    as 


THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE.  175 

though  they  expected  to  continue  in  its  service.  At 
four  o'clock  all  engines  at  terminal  points  were  run  in- 
to their  roundhouses  and  housed  with  the  usual  care. 
All  trains  on  the  road  were  run  to  the  end  of  the  divi- 
sion and  left  in  good  order.  In  fact  the  deportment  of 
the  old  employes  was  unexceptionable.  Evidently  the 
men  believed  that  their  places  could  not  be  rilled. 
They  did  not  dream  that  the  great  Chicago,  Burling- 
ton &  Quincy  road,  proud  of  its  efficiency  in  every 
department,  demanding  high  intellectual  and  moral 
qualifications  of  its  employes,  would  disregard  its  own 
rule,  held  to  be  inflexible,  under  which  no  novice 
could  run  an  engine. 

The  officers  of  the  road  were  astonished  at  the  una- 
nimity of  sentiment  which  they  perceived  in  the  men. 
So  entire  was  it,  that  not  half  a  dozen  engineers  and 
firemen  were  left  in  as  many  states  and  territories  to 
serve  the  company.  Two  thousand  men  scattered 
over  several  thousand  miles,  united  in  giving  up  their 
honest  and  reputable  employment,  their  good  pros- 
pects, their  certainty  of  home  and  friends,  for  princi- 
ple. They  began  the  strike,  not  alone  to  secure  better 
terms  for  themselves,  but  to  give  laboring  men  every- 
where a  better  chance, — a  just  share  in  the  proceeds 
of  capital.  Their  loyalty  became  a  sublime  spectacle 
when  it  was  seen  to  be  the  trait  of  men  vowed  to 
practice,  "  Sobriety,  truth,  justice  and  morality." 
They  believed  that  the  contest  on  which  they  had  en- 
tered would  be  no  trifle,  but  they  did  not  believe  their 
opponents  would  be  willing  to  destroy  millions  of  oth- 
er people's  property  to  gain  a  point. 

At  four  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  Febuary  27,  the 


176  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

officials  of  the  road  who  had  been  in  their  offices  all 
night,  called  in  each  man  as  his  engine  came  in  and  urged 
him  to  stay  with  the  company,  but  without  success. 

All  business  came  to  a  standstill.  The  few  passen- 
ger trains  on  the  road  were  abandoned  by  the  men  as 
soon  as  they  came  to  the  terminal  point,  where  the 
engines  were  changed.  It  became  necessary  for  super- 
intendents, master  mechanics,  road  masters,  fore- 
men in  shops,  machinists,  anyone  who  could  start  and 
stop  an  engine  to  be  ready  to  fill  the  vacated  places. 
Danger  to  the  property  of  stockholders  or  patrons  did 
not  deter  the  officials  from  entrusting  such  persons 
with  the  trains. 

At  Chicago  a  few  moments  before  four  o'clock,  the 
C,  B.  &  Q.  yards  at  Canal  and  Sixteenth  street  pre- 
sented their  usual  appearance.  The  early  morning  train 
had  left  on  time,  and  the  switch  engineers  were  at 
work  as  usual.  Just  before  four  o'clock  Train  Master 
Pope  issued  an  order  that  no  trains  should  be  moved 
west  of  Chicago.  This  was  taken  by  the  few  train- 
men in  the  yards  to  mean  that  the  company  had  se- 
cured no  men  worth  mentioning,  and  that  the  road 
would  be  in  a  few  moments  practically  tied  up.  Ex- 
actly at  that  moment  the  switch  engineers  stopped 
work  and  run  their  engines  into  the  roundhouse  and 
the  strike  was  on. 

The  first  surburban  train  to  come  in  was  manned  by 
Master  Mechanic  Smith  with  Superintendent  Howland 
acting  as  fireman. 

The  through  passenger  trains  that  were  on  the  road 
were  stopped  at  division  points,  and  there  being  no 
engineers   to   man   the  engines,    the  passenger  trains 


THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE.  1 77 

from  the  west  were  left  at  Galesburg,  and  those  from 
the  Illinois  Central  managed  to  get  to  Aurora.  "The 
fast  mail  being  for  the  benefit  of  Uncle  Sam,  was  not 
interfered  with,  and  went  as  usual.  No.  18,  leaving 
Aurora  at  6: 10  a.  m.  was  taken  to  Chicago  by  T.  S. 
Pope,  the  train  master  of  Chicago.  No.  20,  at  7:15 
a.  m.,  was  taken  in  by  F.  M.  Paris,  master  mechanic 
at  Streator.  No.  33,  at  7:20  a.  m.,  the  milk  train,  by 
G.  W.  Rhodes,  superintendent  of  motive  power  at 
Aurora.  The  Mendota  passenger  train  was  run  by 
Dick  Nixon,  master  mechanic,  at  Mendota."  '  The 
Brotherhood's  blow  fell  with  paralyzing  effect.  At 
the  Western  avenue  round  house  the  most  profound 
quiet  prevailed.  The  round  house  was  full  of  engines 
without  steam.  At  7  o'clock  only  one  engine  had  left, 
and  that  was  for  the  stock  yards  which  was  not  in- 
volved in  the  strike. 

The  Burlington  sent  out  the  following  circular: 
"It  will  probably  be  a  week  or  more  before  this 
company  will  be  able  to  receive  freight  from  you,  and 
it  will  therefore  be  advisable,  and  for  the  public  inter- 
est, for  you  to  deliver  all  freight  consigned  to  us  and 
destined  to  competitive  points,  to  such  other  roads 
as  in  your  judgment  can  most  promptly  take  it  to  its 
destination.  We  shall  also  be  obliged  for  a  few  davs 
to  decline  to  receive  freight  for  local  points.  But  as 
soon  as  we  are  able  you  will  be  advised  of  our  ability 
to  handle  freight." 

At  noon  six  hundred  freight  handlers  were  laid  off, 
and  every  freight  office  in  the  city  belonging  to  the 
Burlington  was  shut  down.  "The  great  freight  house, 
fronting  on  Canal  street  and  south  of  Harrison,  was 

1  Aurora,  (111.,)  Express,  February  27,  1888. 


178  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

deserted.  There  was  no  trace  of  the  hundreds  of  trucks 
with  their  immense  loads  of  outgoing  freight,  and  each 
of  the  twenty  receiving  doors  was  adorned  with  the 
following  sign :  '  No  freight  will  be  received  to-dav. 
Lot.  Brown,  Agent.'  "  ' 

Out  of  fifty-four  suburban  trains  run  daily  by  the 
Burlington,  only  four  were  run,  and  on  a  canvas  of  the 
opinion  of  the  patrons  on  one  of  these  trains,  it  was 
found  that  nearly  all  were  in  sympathy  with  the  engine- 
men,  and  were  willing  to  put  up  with  the  inconvenience. 
They  all  seemed  to  think  that  the  Burlington  could  pay 
by  the  mile  as  well  as  other  roads.2  The  train  that  should 
have  left  Chicago  at  10:15  a.  m.,  did  not  get  started 
until  3 :  00  p.  m.  At  an  evening  visit  to  the  Union  depot 
in  Chicago  at  night,  as  far  as  the  Burlington  was  con- 
cerned, passenger  traffic  was  decidedly  blocked  and 
solemn.  Not  a  train  left  after  six  o'clock  p.  m.  Pas- 
sengers holding  tickets  over  that  road  were  obliged  to 
sit  in  the  depot  all  night  on  the  hard  benches.  A 
throng  of  applicants  was  at  the  company's  office  for 
the  places  vacated  by  the  outgoing  men,  and  fifty- 
three  were  reported  as  examined  by  eleven  o'clock. 
The  examination  must  have  been  very  limited.  Mr. 
Stone  said  when  interrogated,  "  You  see  there  are 
plenty  of  men  ready  for  the  places."  When  he  was 
asked  who  they  were,  and  where  they  came  from  ? 
he  answered:  "I  don't  know."  3 

At  Aurora  the  shut  down  was  complete,  all  opera- 
tions ceased  by  the  hour  set.  Several  trains  came  in 
just  before  the  time,  and  each  was  quietly  abandoned 
by  the  men.  Nothing  was  stirring,  and  the  com- 
pany's premises  were  silent  and  gloomy  in  the  gray 

1  Chicago  Tribune.         2  Chicago  Times.         3  Associated  Press. 


THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE.  1 79 

light  of  early  dawn.  Later  in  the  morning  could  be 
seen  a  motley  crowd  about  the  company's  grounds, 
made  up  of  curious  citizens,  old  employes,  and  the  of- 
ficials of  the  road,  the  latter  trying  to  grapple  with  the 
difficulties  of  the  situation.  The  officials  were  appeal- 
ing to  every  man  they  thought  could  be  induced  to 
come  up  and  fill  the  vacant  places,  and  the  old  em- 
ployes were  as  watchful  and  persistent  in  trying  to 
keep  them  away.  The  engine  for  the  Chicago  & 
Iowa,  called  the  Chicago  &  Dubuque  train,  was  run 
out  of  the  roundhouse  about  11:40  a.  m.,  and  Master 
Mechanic  Morris  was  making  a  desperate  effort  to 
find  some  one  to  run  the  engine.  The  officers  were 
just  beginning  to  learn  that  the  men  were  in  earnest. 
The  men  told  Mr.  Morris  and  the  train  master  that 
they  could  obtain  an  engineer  and  fireman  upon  appli- 
cation to  the  engineers'  committee,  but  they  spurned 
this  offer,  saying  they  would  like  to  know  who  was 
running  the  Chicago  &  Iowa  road — the  Brotherhoods 
or  the  officers  ?  Failing  to  get  any  one  to  go,  they 
finally  sought  the  committee,  who  readily  assigned  an 
engineer  and  fireman,  but  they  were  enjoined  not  to 
take  anything  but  mail  cars.  That  seemed  to  be  sat- 
isfactory, and  the  men  went  on  the  engine  and  started 
up.  Seeing  all  the  cars  were  still  attached,  the  engi- 
neer stopped  and  told  them  they  must  cut  off  the 
coaches.  This  they  made  a  show  to  do,  and  again 
gave  a  signal  to  go,  and  the  engineer  finding  they  had 
not  cut  them  off,  stopped  again.  At  this  the  fireman 
got  off  and  told  Mr.  Morris  to  fire  the  engine  himself. 
They  then  gave  a  signal  to  back  up  into  the  }fard,  with 
another  demonstration  of  cutting  them  off,  and  when 


I  So  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

the  engineer  saw  this  he  got  off  the  engine,  leaving 
them    with  no  alternative     but    for    Master  Mechanic 
Morris  to  go  himself,  which  he  did.   '  The  next  train 
was  number  2,  due  in  Aurora  at  6:45    a.  m..  which 
arrived  at  2 :  00  p.  m.,  with  A.  O.  Taylor  in  charge  of 
engine.     The  engines  were  changed,  and  engine  403, 
manned  by  Mr.  Fred  Geyer,  foreman  of  the  machine 
shop,  who  had  never  handled  an  engine  in  his  life,  and 
Seth  Parsons,  a  farmer  from  Piano,  Illinois,  acting  as 
fireman.     When  Foreman  Geyer  backed  the  engine 
up  to  couple  on  the  train,  he  could  not  control  it,  and 
ran  into  the  train  so  hard  that  it  ran  back  a  car  length, 
and  it  was  composed  of  eleven  cars.     Geyer  remarked 
then  that  he  could  build  an  engine  better  than  he  could 
run  one.     They  finally  got  started  with  the  train,  and 
when  seven  or  eight  miles  from  Aurora,  they  got  out 
of  steam,  caused  by  the  farmer  fireman  filling  the  fire 
box  with  green  coal.     Geyer  said  he  thought  to  run 
up  and  down  the  track  would  help  make  up  steam,  so 
they  ran  away  from  the  train  about  half  a  mile  east  of 
the  train,  partly  up  grade,  and  in  coming  back  Geyer 
lost  control  of  the  engine,  which  was  going  at  a  rapid 
rate  and  struck  the  train,  telescoping  the  mail  car,  the 
whole  tank  and  part  of  the  engine  going  into  it.     Ex- 
pert Geyer  was  taken  out  of  the  side  door  of  the  mail 
car,   cut,    bleeding,    nose    broken,    and    badly  injured 
otherwise.     Farmer  Parsons,  the  fireman,  had  his  leg 
and  collar  bone  broken,  and  is  a  cripple  for  life.     One 
of   the   mail  clerks  was  very  badly  injured    and  has 
never   worked  since.     Geyer    was    confined    to    his 
house,  and  Farmer  Parsons  was  at  the   city  hospital 
for  several  weeks.     The  evidence  in  this  case  before 


THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE.  l8l 

the  Illinois  railroad  and  warehouse  commisioners  will 
be  given  later. 

A  collision  occurred  at  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  & 
St.  Paul  crossing.  William  H.  Pierce,  assistant  engi- 
neer of  tests  in  the  C,  B.  &  Q.  shops  at  Aurora,  upon 
learning  of  the  strike,  with  several  other  young  men, 
signed  a  letter  to  Mr.  Rhodes,  superintendent  of  mo- 
tive power,  offering  to  go  out  in  any  position  the  com- 
pany should  deem  advisable,  and  Mr  Pierce  wras  de- 
tailed by  the  master  mechanic  at  Aurora  to  go  to  Men- 
dota,  111.,  and  take  a  train  to  Fulton,  as  engineer. 
Mr.  Pierce  had  never  run  an  engine ;  never  was  exam- 
ined for  one;  was  obliged  to  wear  glasses  to  see  and 
was  quite  deaf.  However,  regardless  of  all  interests, 
and  with  an  eye  single  to  the  defeat  of  the  striking  en- 
gineers, this  man  was  assigned  to  pull  a  passenger 
train. 

He  started  at  Mendota  and  things  went  fairly  well 
until  he  arrived  at  the  crossing  of  the  Chicago,  Mil- 
waukee &  St.  Paul  railroad.  Unfortunately,  there 
was  a  train  on  that  road  just  crossing  the  Burlington 
track,  and  this  novice  failed  to  stop  as  he  should,  and 
ran  into  them,  going  at  the  rate  of  forty-five  miles  per 
hour,  striking  the  back  trucks  of  the  Milwaukee  en- 
gine tender,  throwing  it  and  the  Milwaukee  mail  car 
into  the  ditch.  The  Burlington  engine  and  mail  car 
were  also  thrown  in  the  ditch,  as  shown  in  cut,  injur- 
ing Mail  Clerks  Wilhelm  and  Brown,  Express  Mes- 
senger Morrison  of  the  Milwaukee,  and  Mr.  Pierce,  the 
new  engineer,  Road  Master  Seegers,  and  the  con- 
ductor of  the  Burlington  train. 

In  the  evidence  before  the  Illinois  rail^ad  commis- 


l82  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

sioners  appears  the  following  evidence,  Superintendent 
of  Motive  Power,  G.  W.  Rhodes,  being  asked : 

"Do  you  know  Mr.  Pierce?" 

"Yes,  Sir." 

"  What  is  his  business  ?  " 

"  Mr.  Pierce  is  assistant  engineer  of  tests  in  our  labo- 
ratory at  Aurora." 

"Is  he  an  engineer  in  the  employ  of  the  Burlington 
road  now  ?  " 

"  He  is  not  an  engineer." 

"  Was  he  ever  at  any  time  an  engineer  in  the  employ 
of  the  Burlington  road  ?  " 

"  He  was  never  examined  as  an  engineer  for  the 
Burlington." 

'•'You  say  he  was  not  ?" 

"No,  Sir.     He  was  not." 

"  Did  Mr.  Pierce  ever  run  a  locomotive  engine  be- 
fore ?" 

"Mr.  Pierce  had  handled  a  locomotive  engine. 
Yes,  Sir." 

"The  question  was,  did  he  ever  run  a  locomotive 
engine  before.     Please  answer  that." 

"  I  am  not  able  to  say  whether  he  did  or  not." 

"  Are  you  in  the  habit,  when  exercising  your  best 
judgment  to  select  engineers,  to  put  a  man  on  the 
road  to  run  a  locomotive  engine  when  you  do  not 
know  whether  he  has  ever  run  one  before  or  not  ?  '' 

"  In  a  case  like  this  when  our  trains  were  " 

"  In  any  case  ?  " 

"  We  do  so.     I  would  do  so  again." 

"  When  the  lives  of  the  public  are  in  peril  you  will 
take  a  man  without  knowing  whether  he  has  ever 


THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE.  183 

run  an  engine  before  or  not,  and  put  him  in  charge  of 
an  engine  ?  " 

••  No,  Sir;  Mr.  Pierce's  education  and  training  jus- 
tified me  in  believing  that  he  could  handle  the  train 
properly." 

"  Do  you  believe  any  technical  education  in  the 
shop  without  practical  experience  fits  a  man  to  be 
placed  in  charge  of  an  engine  to  which  is  attached  a 
passenger   train  ?" 

"  Properly  guided  by  a  pilot  and  conductor,  I  say 
so,  decidedly." 

"You  would  do  so  at  any  time;  if  there  had 
been  no  strike,  you  would  select  a  man  of  that  experi- 
ence, would  you  ?  " 

"  I  would  do  that  under  the  circumstances  we 
were  " 

"  Only  under  emergencies!  " 

"Yes',  Sir." 

"You  would  not  say,  generally,  it  is  a  wise  thing 
for  a  railroad  to  do,  would  you  ?  " 

"  I  would  say  under  circumstances  such  as  we  were 
left  in,  it  was  a  wise  thing  for  us  to  do." 

What  does  the  public  think  of  this  manifest  indif- 
ference to  any  thing  but "  our  "  interest.  The  public  in- 
terest must  be  subordinated  to  that  of  railroads,  is  the 
motto. 

At  Galesburg,  similar  conditions  could  be  seen. 
The  passenger  trains  from  the  west  stopped  accord- 
ing to  agreement.  The  engines  were  vacated  by 
the  men,  and  there  were  no  enginemen  ready, 
in  spite  of  the  strenuous  efforts  of  the  officers. 
The    passenger   waited  seven   hours,    and   finally  got 


184  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

started  with  Conductor  Dewey  at  the  throttle.  The 
next  train  following  this  was  also  a  passenger  train, 
pulled  by  mogul  engine  No.  135,  manned  by  one 
Chapman,  who  had  been  delivering  engines  for  the 
Baldwin  locomotive  works.  When  he  got  about  two 
and  a  half  miles  east  of  Galesburg,  he  stopped  and 
stood  there  for  about  an  hour  and  a  half,  when 
Master  Mechanic  Colville  took  the  switch  engine  and 
went  to  see  what  was  the  matter,  and  got  him  started 
again  and  they  reached  Buda  about  4:30  p.  m.,  using 
more  than  six  hours  in  making  a  distance  of  forty-five 
miles.  Here  he  gave  up  the  train  and  put  the  engine 
in  the  round  house  where  it  remained  for  three  days, 
said  to  have  been  burned. '  Zeb.  Sammis  was  put  on  an 
engine  pulling  a  passenger  train  between  Galesburg 
and  Quincy,  so  drunk  he  had  to  be  helped  on  the  en- 
gine. His  son,  W.  C.  Sammis,  tried  to  persuade  him 
not  to  go,  and  the  officers  of  the  company,  Master  Me- 
chanic Colville  and  James  Lindsey,  road  master, 
laughed  at  him  and  called  Marshall  Ennis,  who  told 
the  son  to  go  away  or  he  would  run  him  in. 

1  See  evidence  before  111.  Railroad  Com. 


THOMAS    RRODKRICK.. 


THE  rSRARY 
OF  THE 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

THE  STRIKE  ALONG  THE  LINE. 

At  Beardstown  as  early  as  February  24,  before  the 
committee  got  home,  the  master  mechanic  and  super- 
intendent called  the  engineers  all  in  to  the  master  me- 
chanic's office  and  asked  them  what  they  intended  to 
do.  The  men  being  still  in  ignorance  of  what  had 
happened  in  Chicago,  they  asked  the  superintendent 
what  he  meant,  and  he  answered :  "Don't  you  know  that 
we  are  on  the  eve  of  a  big  strike  ? "  and  then  pro- 
duced the  famous  circular  letter  and  tried  its  influence 
on  them,  but  their  only  answer  was,  "  We  have  no- 
thing to  say.  We  sent  a  man  to  Chicago  to  attend  to 
our  business,  and  whatever  he  did,  we  propose  to 
stand  by."  This  effort  evidently  did  not  prove  very 
satisfactory,  yet  it  furnishes  further  proof  of  the  com- 
pany's intentions.  Business  moved  on  as  usual  until 
Sunday,  February  26,  when  Master  Mechanic  Wallis 
sent  for  the  committee  representing  the  engineers  and 
firemen,  Messrs.  Wheatley  and  Sherman,  and  he 
wanted  to  know  if  they  would  furnish  an  engineer  and 
firemen  for  the  mail  trains,  and  he  was  answered :  "  Cer- 
tainly, if  a  government  officer  requests  it;  but  will  only 
pull  mail  cars,  no  coaches."  Then  Master  Mechanic 
Wallis  and  Superintendent  L.  E.  Johnson  sent  for  the 
chief  engineer  of  Division  127,  P.  J.  Murrin.  These 
officers  told  him  they  would  appoint  him  traveling  en- 
gineer, creating  the  office  for  that  purpose,  and  it  soon 
13 


1 86  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

became  evident  that  the  officers  thought  by  capturing 
the  presumed  leader  they  would  break  up  the  solidity 
of  the  men,  but  they  were  mistaken.  When  the  hour 
came  all  business  ceased,  and  on  the  morning  of  the 
27th,  they  called  every  engineer  and  fireman  to  go, 
but  all  refused,  and  about  7 :30  o'clock  a.  m.,  they  got 
a  machinist  to  run  the  engine,  with  the  new  traveling 
engineer  to  pilot  and  to  educate.  This  train  was  for 
Rock  Island.  In  their  dire  necessity,  they  took  into 
their  family  one  W.  K  Hollis.  This  man  was  in  the 
employ  of  the  company  before  at  East  St.  Louis,  as 
foreman,  and  General  Manager  Stone  declared  in  1886 
that  he  was  a  thief,  and  that  he  stole  coal  by  the  car- 
load and  forged  time  checks.  What  a  fall  was  there 
in  a  day,  when  the  great  C,  B.  &  Q.  takes  back  into 
its  service  the  false,  the  disreputable  and  dishonest, 
recently  branded  as  thief  and  drunkard  ! 

At  Beardstown,  as  elsewhere,  all  officers  were 
brought  into  service.  The  shop  foremen  at  Rock 
Island,  East  St.  Louis,  Monmouth,  and  other  plac- 
es, taking  a  new  role  with  a  bound.  At  East  St.  Louis, 
about  forty  engineers  and  firemen  notified  the  officers 
that  thev  would  not  resume  their  places  on  the  en- 
gines of  the  C,  B.  &  Q.,  at  the  same  time  telling 
them  that  no  opposition  would  be  made  to  men  filling 
their  places,  nor  would  there  be  any  obstacles  to  the 
movement  of  trains.  However,  the  company  secured 
Sergeant  Langley  with  three  policemen,  to  guard  their 
property.  The  men  on  duty  in  the  yard  at  East  St. 
Louis  began  at  midnight  to  make  preparations  to 
abandon  their  engines,  and  as  there  was  little  doing, 
several  of  the  engines  that  ought  to  have  been  in  the 


THE    STRIKE    ALONG    THE    LINE.  1 87 

yard,  were  run  into  the  roundhouse  and  deserted,  and 
at  four  o'clock  the  shut  down  was  complete.  At  Keo- 
kuk not  a  pound  of  freight  was  handled,  and  every 
engineer  and  fireman  quit  his  post,  and  the  St.  Louis, 
Keokuk  &  Northwestern  was  tied  up,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  a  passenger  train  which  started  from  St. 
Peters,  with  a  fireman  named  Burns,  as  engineer. 

On  the  morning  of  February  27,  the  bulletin  board 
at  Creston,  Iowa,  contained  the  following:  "Owing  to 
the  strike  of  the  engineers  and  firemen,  and  consequent 
abandonment  of  all  freight  trains,  this  company  will 
refuse  to  receive  freight  of  any  kind  until  further  no- 
tice." The  official  energy  on  the  whole  Burlington 
system  was  centered  on  the  effort  to  man  the  passen- 
ger trains.  The  first  train  to  move  was  passenger 
No.  15,  which  went  west,  piloted  by  Traveling  Engi- 
neer George  Brown,  engine  No.  295,  with  Ernest 
Fritse,  engineer,  and  Ernest  Higgins,  fireman,  with 
two  extra  men  in  reserve.  Train  No.  61,  south  bound 
passenger,  which  should  have  gone  out  at  4:20  A.  M., 
pulled  out  at  9:  00,  with  ex-fireman  J.  C.  Shoemaker 
as  engineer,  and  Brown  as  fireman.  No  obstacles 
were  placed  in  the  wray  of  any  man  who  desired  to 
work,  and  the  enginemen  said  no  force  would  be  used 
or  countenanced.  All  honorable  means  were  employed 
to  persuade  the  new  men  to  stand  with  the  Brother- 
hood, and  they  were  empowered  to  hire  them  so  to 
do.  Passenger  No.  8  was  abandoned,  and  passenger 
No.  4  came  in  about  2 :  50  p.  m.  with  only  the  mail 
cars,  and  the  Brotherhood  furnished  Wm.  Vangent  to 
take  them  to  Ottumwa.  The  coaches  which  should 
have  been  attached  to  No.  4,  were  brought  in  a  second 


1 88  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

section  and  arrived  at  4:30  p.  m.,  with  the  engine 
manned  by  Conductor  A.  K.  Stone,  and  Ed.  Sheridan 
firing.  Train  No.  7  came  in  at  5 :  00  with  only  the 
mail  cars,  with  Will  and  Chas.  Flint  as  engineer  and 
fireman,  both  Brotherhood  men  furnished  on  account 
of  the  mail.  At  the  rear  of  No.  7  was  attached  Sup- 
erintendent Brown's  special  car  No.  50.  On  arrival 
at  the  station,  Superintendent  Brown  entered  the  cab 
of  the  engine  that  was  to  pull  No.  4,  which  had  been 
deserted  by  the  Brotherhood  men,  his  car  being 
placed  in  the  rear  of  No.  4.  A  great  crowd  had 
gathered  at  the  depot,  and  as  Superintendent  Brown 
pulled  the  throttle  out,  the  condensed  water  from  the 
cylinders  and  dry  pipe  went  out  through  the  stack, 
carrying  with  it  all  the  soot  and  dirt  and  splashed  over 
the  bystanders,  and  the  pounding  and  sputtering  of  the 
engine  was  great  fun  for  the  boys.  Train  No.  7 
which  arrived  at  five  o'clock,  did  not  get  started  until  6 
p.  m.,  when  it  left  with  Conductor  Lon  Stroud  at  the 
throttle.  The  next  passenger  came  in  about  8:20  p. 
m.,  with  Mike  Johnson,  an  ex-bartender  of  Ottumwa,  as 
engineer.  This  train  stood  in  the  yard  for  two  hours 
and  finally  was  pulled  out  by  Conductor  Will  Patten, 
with  engine  210.  No.  5  passenger  came  in  on  the 
morning  of  the  28th,  with  an  ex-brakeman  named 
Burnham  running  the  engine,  and  two  middle  division 
conductors,  Frank  and  Cloyd,  firing  for  him.  The 
effect  of  the  strike  at  Quincy  was  disastrous  to  its 
business  interests,  it  being  practically  cut  off  from 
railroad  travel  and  traffic,  except  by  the  Wabash,  and 
the  Quincy  Missouri  and  Pacific,  which  was  through 
the  northern  countries  of  Missouri,  and    these    roads 


THE    STRIKE    ALONG    THE    LINE.  189 

■were  seriously  affected,  because  the  switching  at  this 
point  was  done  by  the  Burlington  engines.  The  sys- 
tem there  embraced  the  main  line,  viz :  Galesburo-  to 
Chicago,  the  Hannibal  &  St.  Joseph,  the  Carthage 
branch,  the  St.  Louis,  Keokuk  &  Northwestern,  and 
the  Louisiana  line.  A  desperate  effort  was  made  by 
the  officers  to  get  passenger  trains  through,  the  freight 
business,  as  at  other  points,  receiving  no  attention. 
At  Brookfield,  the  headquarters  of  the  Hannibal  &  St. 
Joseph  railroad,  the  superintendent's  office  was  kept 
open  all  night,  and  each  crew  of  engineer  and  fireman 
as  they  arrived,  were  called  into  the  office  and  asked 
whether  they  would  stay  with  the  company,  and  all 
but  one  gave  the  same  answer,  whether  they  were 
members  of  either  organization  or  not.  One  lone 
man,  Win.  Hannum,  had  evidently  entered  into  some 
contract,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  27th,  he,  with 
some  other  firemen,  came  into  the  hall  occupied  by 
the  engineers  and  firemen  and  said:  "  He  hoped  God 
would  paralyze  his  right  arm  if  he  ran  an  engine  in 
the  strike.  The  men  did  not  believe  him  to  be  sin- 
cere, and  they  followed  him  to  the  depot  and  he  ac- 
knowledged he  was  going,  giving  as  a  reason  that  he 
was  in  debt.  The  firemen  offered  to  pay  his  debts, 
but  to  no  purpose ;  he  was  willing  to  perjure  himself 
before  God  and  forsake  his  friends  for  the  sake  of 
getting  an  engine  to  run.  He  was  a  fireman,  but  not 
a  member  of  that  organization.  He  was  the  only  man 
thev  obtained  and  he  went  out  as  engineer  on  the  next 
fast  passenger  train.  Superintendent  Crance  and 
Master  Mechanic  Wilber,  of  Brookfield,  General  Mas- 
ter Mechanic  Paradise:  and  Traveling  Engineer  John- 


I9O  THE   BURLINGTON   STRIKE. 

son  of  Hannibal,  and  Foreman  Thompsdrt4-  of  ""Kansas 
City,  did  the  work  of  engineers  in  the  passenger  train 
service.  All  officers,  station  agents,  and  some  of  the 
conductors,  were  searching  in  every  direction  for  men ; 
men  who  had  been  discharged,  no  matter  what  for,  or 
what  their  character  was.  The  road  master  was  even 
looking  among  his  section  men  for  capable  men  to  be 
put  on  the  locomotives. 

They  agreed  to  give  them  protection  and  board 
them  at  some  good  hotel  at  the  company's  expense, 
during  the  strike.  The  officers,  having  watched  the 
situation  all  night,  and  then  during  the  day  having  to 
go  on  the  engines  themselves,  were  getting  tired  out 
and  began  to  feel  that  they  had  got  about  to  the  end  of 
their  rope.  About  all  the  engineers  and  firemen  on 
that  road  were  located  at  Brookfield,  and  the  officers 
found  it  a  pretty  hard  matter  to  get  an  engineer  or 
fireman  to  go  out,  for  as  fast  as  a  new  man  would  ap- 
pear the  men  would  induce  him  to  go  up  to  their  room 
and  he  was  not  likely  to  withstand  the  appeals  of  the 
strikers.  The  officers  ran  in  about  thirty  section  men 
of  all  sorts  and  paid  them  for  coming,  in  an  effort 
to  tire  out  the  vigilance  of  the  old  men,  but  they  did 
not  succeed  in  this,  as  the  old  men  put  them  through 
an  examination  which  few  could  stand  without  some 
knowledge  of  the  business,  and  they  would  soon  give 
themselves  away.  Master  Mechanic  Wilber  went  out 
on  No.  15  and  met  engine  No.  4  manned  by  Foreman 
Thompson  from  Kansas  City,  when  they  changed; 
Thompson  going  back  to  Kansas  City  and  Wilber 
back  to  Brookfield.  General  Master  Mechanic 
Paradise  ran  from   Hannibal  to   Quincy,  and  Travel- 


THE    STRIKE    ALONG    THE    LINE.  I9I 

ing  Engineer,  Horace  Johnson,  ran  from  Palmyra  Junc- 
tion to  Bucklin,    where    he  met  Superintendent  S.  E. 
Crance  on  No.  4,    when  they  changed;  Crance  going 
back   to    Brookfield,    and   Johnson    back  to  Palmyra 
Junction.     No.   3  was  without  an  engineer  and  there 
being  no  other  road  at  Brookfield,  the  chances  of  hir- 
ing men   at  that  point  were  very  poor,  owing  to  the 
incessant  work    of  the  old  men  to  keep  them  away- 
On  account  of  their  inability  to  obtain  men,  their  fast 
train  had  to  be  abandoned,  and  the  officers  finally  con. 
eluded  to   run  the   engines    through  from  Quincy  to 
Kansas  City,   with  two  firemen  and  one  engineer — 
226  miles.   ■  In  this  way  they  thought  they  could  keep 
the  strikers  from  getting   a   chance  to  talk    to  them. 
Trains  No.  5  and  6 — Cameron  to  Kansas  City — were 
abandoned,    and  also  Nos.  61,  62  and  64 — Cameron 
to    Atchison.     Foreman    Frank  Johnson  at  Atchison, 
a  carpenter  by  trade,  was  urged  to  take  the  engine  on 
No.  63,  but  refused.     He  had  never  been  fireman  or 
engineer,  and  knew  nothing  about  one.     No.  64  was 
finally  got   off  with  a  switch  engineer  from  the  East 
Tennessee,  Virginia  &  Georgia  railroad,  Mr.  Shetla. 
At    Kansas    City,  all  the   men  quit  at  the  appointed 
time  and  put  their  engines  in  the  roundhouse  in  first- 
class  order;  the  hostlers  quit  also.     The  first  attempt 
to    run    was    passenger   train    No.    4,    with  Foreman 
Thompson    acting    as    engineer,    who    knew  nothing 
whatever  about  running  an  engine.     The  regular  fire- 
man   refused   to    go,  and  a   man  was  secured  to  go 
whom  they  called  Cow  Boy.     He  was  dressed  in  cow 
boy  style,  with  broad  brimmed  hat  and  belt.  They  final- 
ly  pulled   out   after  much  chafing  and  delay,  and  on 


I92  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

arriving  at  Brookfield  the  cow  boy  was  treated  to 
some  Sam  Jones  argument  and  the  company  lost  his 
services.  The  first  train  into  Kansas  City  came  on  the 
Kansas  City,  St.  Joseph  &  Council  Bluffs  road,  with 
the  engine  manned  by  one  Dudley.  A  squad  of  police 
immediately  surrounded  the  engineer,  but  there  was 
a  large  crowd  gathered,  and  Dudlev  was  greeted  with: 
"Show  your  face!"  "You  will  be  afraid  to  face 
your  own  family  !"  etc.,  but  no  violence  was  offered. 
The  Burlington  advertised  in  the  Kansas  City  papers : ' 
"  Wanted. — Competent  engineers  and  firemen  will  be 
given  permanent  employment  upon  the  lines  of  the 
Burlington  system.  Men  entering  our  service  will  be 
paid  full  pay  as  per  our  schedule.  We  will  give  full 
protection  and  guarantee  employment  as  long  as  they 
fulfill  our  requirements  and  prove  competent.  G.  E. 
Fish,  assistant  superintendent  of  Hannibal,  St.  Joseph 
&  Council  Bluffs  railroad."  Mr.  Fish  evidently  forgot 
that  their  company  required  three  years'  service  to 
obtain  these  conditions  of  their  old  men,  and  Mr.  Fish 
offers  in  this  advertisement  just  what  the  men  asked 
of  the  C,  B.  &  Q.  company;  three  and  one-half  cents 
per  mile  on  passenger,  and  four  cents  per  mile  on 
freight.  The  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  stopped 
the  freight  business  of  their  road,  which  runs  over  the 
Burlington  to  Cameron  Junction,  because  the  latter  was 
trying  to  get  this  freight  handled  by  the  Chicago,  Rock 
Island  &  Pacific  engines,  by  putting  the  cars  in  their 
trains.  The  Chicago,  Kansas  &  Nebraska,  also  apart  of 
the  C,  R.  I.  &  P.  system,  when  the  men  were  asked 
not  to  run  into  a  yard  where  scabs  worked,  tied  up  their 
road  for  about  four  hours.     Finally  the  following  dis- 

1  Kansas  City  Journal. 


THE    STRIKE    ALONG    THE    LINE.  1 93 

patch  was  received  from  P.  M.  Arthur:  "  Do  not  in- 
terfere with  the  Rock  Island  engineers  and  trains,  so 
long  as  they  maintain  neutrality."  l  "Train  No.  6,  pas- 
senger, backed  down  to  Union  depot  at  five  o'clock, 
an  hour  late,  with  an  unknown  man  at  the  throttle, 
and  the  officials  of  the  company  said  they  did  not 
know  who  he  was.  When  it  came  to  a  stand-still,  not 
less  than  three  hundred  people  gathered  around  the 
engine,  of  all  ages  and  classes.  Several  attempted  to 
get  into  the  cab  but  were  driven  back  by  the  officers. 
Then  they  indulged  in  remarks  at  the  expense  of  the 
engineer,  a  bearded  old  man  who  sat  in  the  cab  with 
the  fortitude  of  a  martyr.  "  What  does  he  look 
like  ?  "  shouted  one.  "  Does  his  mother  know  he's 
out  ? "  "  Look  at  his  whiskers  ! "  said  another. 
"  Come  down  and  show  yourself,  pap  !  "  "  Let  me 
have  your  photograph,"  etc.  These  and  many  similar 
remarks  were  made,  and  even  the  police  had  to  laugh 
at  the  puns  and  good  nature  of  the  crowd."  !  The  Eli 
train  was  abandoned,  and  the  Eli  and  No.  2  passenger 
were  made  one  train,  not  having  any  one  to  run  the 
engine  for  the  fast  train.  The  same  motlev  crowd  of 
three  hundred  or  mure  were  there  to  see  the  fun. 
The  official  report  of  this  occurrence  is  as  follows : 
"No.  2  delayed  at  Kansas  City,  caused  by  about  three 
hundred  men  around  engine  before  train  was  due  to 
leave,  putting  links  in  guides  of  engine  18,  blocking 
wheels,  throwing  rocks  at  engine  cab  and  coaches; 
train  will  be  delayed  here  a  short  time  doing  work  on 
engine.  All  pressure  possible  should  be  brought  to 
bear  on  city  authorities,  in  getting  them  to  furnish  of- 
ficers  to  protect  the  company,    and  prevent  strikers 

1  Kansas  City  Journal. 


94 


THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 


from  hurting  men  who  are  willing  to  work."  This  is 
hardly  just  to  the  strikers,  as  there  are  none  but 
switch  engineers  live  in  Kansas  City,  and  there  were 
but  few  road  engineers  there ;  yet  it  is  in  direct  line 
with  the  following  from  Superintendent  Fish  who 
says :  "  In  fact,  many  men  have  been  turned  away. 
No  engineers  have  been  hired  who  have  not  had  charge 
of  an  engine  at  least  one  year,  and  the  same  rule  was 
adopted  for  firemen.  This  rule  was  adopted  by  the 
company  to  prevent  its  trains  from  being  intrusted  to 
incompetent  men,  and  to  insure  the  customary  safety 
to  the  passengers."  l  It  is  a  notorious  fact  that  Mr. 
Fish  was  taking  whoever  offered  themselves,  as  did  the 
officers  at  all  other  points.  At  St.  Joseph  City  at  the 
appointed  hour,  every  engineer  and  fireman  quit  their 
post — about  two  hundred.  The  Burlington  has  several 
lines  here;  Kansas  City,  St.  Joseph  &  Council  Bluffs; 
Hopkins  branch;  Villisca  branch,  etc.  It  looked  like 
Sunday  at  the  Union  depot  and  around  the  freight 
yards.  The  B'.  &  M.  Cannon  Ball  arrived  on  time, 
but  was  deserted  by  the  engineer  and  fireman,  and  it 
was  delayed  two  hours  or  more  before  it  pulled  out 
for  Kansas  City.  No  more  trains  arrived  until  3:35 
p.  m.,  when  No.  2  pulled  in  from  Omaha,  with  Master 
Mechanic  Bridenstein,  of  Council  Bluffs,  on  the  engine. 
When  No.  2  pulled  in,  a  striker  stepped  forward  to 
speak  with  Master  Mechanic  Bridenstein,  but  was 
promptly  pushed  aside  by  Joseph  Hanson,  superinten- 
dent of  the  Union  depot.  When  Chief  of  Police 
Broaden  said :  "  The  man  had  a  perfect  right  to  speak 
to  the  engineer  on  business,"  and  allowed  him  to  do 
so.     He  wanted  to  pursuade  Bridenstein  to  leave  the 

1  Kansas  City  Journal,  Feb.  28,  18SS. 


THE    STRIKE    ALONG    THE    LINE.  195 

engine.  There  was  no  loud  talking  among  the  strik- 
ers, but  they  were  determined,  and  said  that  no  vio- 
lence would  be  used  in  the  matter,  and  if  they  could 
not  win  in  a  peaceable  manner,  they  did  not  want  to 
win  at  all.  General  Manager  Merrill  stated  that  the 
company  would  not  give  an  inch,  as  the  demands  of 
the  strikers  were  unjust.  "  Morning  of  February  28: 
the  report  says  of  the  previous  day :  passenger  train 
due  at  7:00  a.  m.,  arrived  at  2:00  p.  m.,  with  a  Rose- 
dale  section  foreman  as  engineer."  '  This  train  was 
from  Creston,  and  the  engine  was  manned  with  Shoe- 
maker and  Brown.2  Conductor  Lowridge  said  they 
reneged  on  him  and  the  trip  was  continued  with  a 
section  foreman  from  Rosedale  as  engineer,  and  brake- 
man  Omer  as  fireman.  Hannibal  &  St.  Joseph  No.  3 
came  in  with  Shetla,  Atchison  dummy  line  engineer 
in  charge,  who  was  induced  to  leave  the  engine.  Kan- 
sas City,  St.  Joseph  &  Council  Bluff's  train  came  in 
four  hours  late,  with  Pat.  Brown,  a  fireman,  as  engi- 
neer. No.  1  went  north  with  Master  Mechanic  Stei- 
ger,  of  the  St  Joseph  &  St.  Louis  road  as  engineer. 
No.  1 1  came  in  nearly  on  time,  and  the  engineer  and 
fireman  were  induced  to  leave  the  engine,  and  they 
joined  the  strikers;  then  the  hostler  of  the  roundhouse 
was  sent  for  and  took  the  train  out,  two  hours  late.3 
"  Joseph  Hay  ward,  road  master,  got  his  brother,  Ben 
Hayward,  out  of  the  calaboose,  and  they  put  him  on  a 
passenger  engine.3  Men  were  put  on  engines  at  this  point 
who  never  drew  a  cent  of  salary  from  any  company 
as  enginemen  in  any  capacity;  yet  Superintendent 
Fish  says :  "  No  man  is  hired  who  has  not  had  charge 
of  an  engine  at  least  one  year."4     The  officers  em- 

1  Associated  Press  report.        -  Creston  Advertiser.        3  Statement  of  citizens. 
4  Kansas  City  Journal. 


I96  THE    BLTJUJNGTON   STRIKE. 

ployed  by  the  Burlington  railroad  put  forth  all  their 
energies  to  save  that  company  from  defeat,  and  the 
company  ought  to  be  at  least  satisfied  with  their  ser- 
vices. Their  statements  for  the  public  were  manufac- 
tured to  suit  the  occasion,  regardless  of  facts.  "At 
Lincoln,  about  eighty  trains,  freight  and  passenger, 
depart  daily  over  the  Burlington  system  from  this 
place.  There  are  two  hundred  Burlington  engineers 
and  firemen  who  reside  here." 1  "All  these  men  quit, 
and  the  tie-up  was  complete  from  Chicago  to  Denver. 
The  latter  part  of  the  day  some  trains  were  running, 
manned  by  conductors,  train  masters,  dispatchers, 
master  mechanics,  and  others  who  could  be  pressed 
into  service,  regardless  of  their  fitness.  One  train, 
was  got  out  of  Nebraska  City,  the  engine  being  in 
charge  of  Road  Master  Filbrick.  No  trains  arrived. 
The  Kansas  City  passsenger  train  got  as  far  as  Pacific 
Junction,  and  the  engineer  and  fireman  refused  to  go 
farther.  They  were  using  mule  teams  instead  of 
switch  engines  to  switch  with.  A  desperate  effort 
was  made  to  run  all  passenger  trains  except  the  Eli. 
which  was  abandoned."  2 

"  At  Denver,  Colorado,  February  26,  the  officers 
were  notified  that  the  strike  would  take  place  at  4:00 
a.  m.  the  27th,  and  they  made  special  effort  to  move 
eastward  all  the  loaded  coal  cars  for  distribution 
along  the  line,  in  order  that  the  people  who  depend 
upon  the  road  for  their  fuel  supply,  might  not  suffer. 
No  through  passenger  was  sent  out  on  the  evening  of 
the  26th,  and  the  officers  of  the  company  questioned 
every  passenger,  and  when  they  held  through  tickets 
over  the  Burlington,  these  were  taken  up  and  Union 

Chicago  Tribune.        2  Kansas  City  Journal. 


THE    STRIKE    ALONG    THE    LINE.  1 97 

Paciric  tickets  were  given  in  place  of  them.  Way 
passengers  had  no  alternative,  and  had  to  take  their 
chances.  The  Narrow  Gauge,  Denver,  Utah  and  Pa- 
ciric road,  a  branch  of  the  Burlington,  was  also  tied 
up.  One  train  was  finally  got  off  from  Denver,  with 
a  man  named  Dickerson  as  engineer,  who  consented 
to  take  it  as  far  as  McCook." ' 

1  Kansas  City  Journal. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 


"  MEN  OF  EXPERIENCE  AND  TRUSTWORTHY. 

We  have  considered  the  conditions  now  at  most  of 
the  important  points  from  Chicago  to  Denver.  The  sur- 
vey shows  that  the  Burlington  has  succeeded,  to  some 
extent,  in  handling  its  passenger  business,  by  putting 
into  harness  any  man  who  would  lend  himself  to  help 
crush  labor.  Let  us  return  as  far  as  Creston,  and  see 
how  much  this  company  digressed  from  its  own  rules 
of  highest  practical  requirements.  In  considering  this 
question,  we  should  remember  that  the  C,  B.  &  Q. 
company  has  required  of  their  men  from  three  to  five 
years  as  firemen,  and  three  years  as  engineers,  to  ob- 
tain that  proficiency  demanded  by  the  Burlington  sys- 
tem. At  their  general  office  at  Chicago,  a  meeting  of 
President  Perkins,  General  Manager  Stone,  Paul 
Morton,  and  Chester  M.  Dawes  of  the  legal  depart- 
ment, decided  toiencLout  the  following  bulletin  notice 
along  the  whole  Burlington  system:  "Post  immedi- 
i  ately  upon  your  bulletin  boards,  and  in  all  conspicuous 
places,  in  and  out  of  all  depots  in  your  division,  the 
following  notice :  '  All  engineers  and  firemen  recently 
in  the  employ  of  this  company,  who  do  not  apply  for 
positions  by  noon  of  Wednesday,  February  29,  will 
be  considered  out  of  the  company's  service.  Every 
man  who  has  not  applied  by  the  above  hour,  can  get 
all  pay  due  him  upon  application  to  the  master  me- 
chanic   of  his  division.' "     This    notice  had  no  effect 


"MEN  OF  EXPERIENCE  AND  TRUSTWORTHY."      I99 

whatever  upon  the  men  at  any  point,  unless  it  was  to 
strengthen  them  in  their  determination  to  stand  fast. 
In  speaking  of  this,  the  Creston  Advertiser  said: 
"  There  was  no  undue  commotion  here,  and  it  is  hoped 
there  will  be  none.  The  Brotherhoods  realize  that 
any  rashness  or  violence  on  their  part  would  be  in  a 
measure,  fatal  to  their  cause,  and  any  inclination  on 
the  part  of  hot-heads  or  impulsive  members,  will  be 
promptly  suppressed  by  the  thoughtful  and  conserva- 
tive men  who  are  largely  in  the  majority."  Instead  of 
going  to  any  extremes,  or  doing  anything  unseeming- 
lv,  they  realized  they  were  being  introduced  to  a 
surprising  kind  of  violence  by  the  officers;  violence 
against  the  rules  under  which  they  had  been  made  to 
live,  and  that  the  officers  were  assigning  any  one  to  be 
engineer  who  would  go.  They  then  appointed  a  com- 
mittee to  go  to  Des  Moines  and  wait  on  Governor 
Larrabee,  and  lay  the  subject  before  him,  and  ask  that 
none  but  competent  men  be  allowed  on  passenger  en- 
gines.1 To  meet  this,  Superintendent  W.  C.  Brown, 
of  the  Iowa  division,  telegraphed  the  following  in- 
structions to  the  general  solicitor  of  the  Burlington, 
who  was  then  at  the  capital,  watching  the  course  of 
adverse  railroad  legislation : 

Burlington,  Iowa,  February  28,  1888. 

J.  W.  Blythe,  Des  Moines. 

"  I  understand  that  a  committee  of  engineers  from 
Creston  have  gone  to  Des  Moines  to  petition  the  gov- 
ernor not  to  allow  incompetent  and  irresponsible  men 
on  passenger  engines.  You  may  say  to  Governor 
Larrabee  if  you  think  best,  that  our  passenger  engines 

1  Creston  Advertiser. 


200  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

are  being  run  by  men  of  experience,  perfectly  trust- 
worthy and  competent,  and  can  give  him  a  full  assur- 
ance that  no  man  will  be  put  on  passenger  engines,  or 
any  other  engine,  except  those  possessing  these  quali- 
fications. We  think  we  are  better  calculated  to  judge 
in  regard  to  the  character  and  ability  of  men  we  em- 
ploy, than  the  striking  engineers,  and  we  have  cer- 
tainly a  great  deal  more  at  stake." 

(Signed)     W.  C.  Brown. 

The  facts  obtained  from  personal  acquaintance  of 
the  men  assigned,  and  from  the  evidence  before  the 
Iowa  railroad  commissioners,  do  not  bear  Mr.  Brown 
out  in  this  statement,  but  on  the  contrary,  they  place 
his  statement  in  a  very  bad  light.  We  will  describe 
briefly  here,  the  men  referred  to  as  being  unqualified : 
"  First  comes  A.  K.  Stone,  who  has  been  employed  on 
the  West  Iowa  division  for  several  years  as  conductor. 
He  has  never  had  any  experience  whatever  as  a  loco- 
motive engineer,  and  has  acknowledged  that  he  knew 
nothing  of  running  an  engine.  L.  H.  Stroud,  another 
conductor,  has  been  pulling  passenger  trains,  never 
having  had  any  experience  as  an  engineer.  George 
Loughridge,  C.  A.  Drake,  Dempsey  Ethridge,  Dick 
Allen,  John  Erbert,  Dan  Hackett,  and  William  Patten, 
all  conductors  of  the  Burlington,  have  been  pulling 
passenger  trains,  and  all  of  them  have  admitted  that 
they  know  nothing  of  running  a  locomotive,  and  they 
are  not  reliable  or  efficient  engineers.  Mike  Johnson, 
in  charge  of  a  passenger  engine,  was  a  bar  tender  at 
Ottumwa,  and  his  experience  consisted  of  a  few  months 
braking.      Frank  Mertz,  a  farmer,  had  been  emploved 


S*; 


GEORGE    GODING. 


"MEN  OF  EXPERIENCE  AND  TRUSTWORTHY."      201 

about  six  weeks  as  fireman;  was  given  a  passenger 
engine  to  run.  Ed.  Sheridan,  also  from  a  farm,  was 
employed  only  a  few  weeks  as  fireman;  was  placed  in 
charge  of  an  engine  on  passenger  trains,  and  is  one  of 
those  efficient  men  of  Mr.  Brown's.  Chas.  McClel- 
land, a  brakeman,  had  some  experience  as  fireman,  but 
was  discharged  two  years  before  by  the  Burlington  for 
incompetency,  but  has  been  considered  equal  to  the  oc- 
casion as  an  engineer.  E.J.  Sperry  was  a  fireman  for 
this  company  but  was  discharged  for  color  blindness,  but 
the  officers  having  modified  their  conditions,  he  is  ac- 
cepted as  a  competent  engineer.  Richard  Price,  whose 
only  experience  as  a  railroad  man  was  a  few  months  as 
brakeman,  and  with  no  other  experience,  owing  to  the 
scarcity  of  competent  men,  he  passed  muster.  Chas. 
Connet,  whose  only  experience  was  as  a  baggageman, 
was  given  a  passenger  engine,  with  the  promise  of  a 
life  job.  Ed.  Young,  a  yard  master  at  Pacific  Junction, 
run  the  yard  engine  and  succeeded  in  getting  it  on  the 
Kansas  City  railroad  crossing,  and  not  knowing  how 
to  handle  air,  could  not  get  off  from  it,  and  the  Kansas 
City  passenger  train  came  along,  with  Master  Me- 
chanic Bridenstein  at  the  throttle,  and  not  stopping  as 
he  should  for  the  crossing,  ran  into  it,  smashing  up 
both  engines.  Bridenstein  was  arrested,  but  when 
trial  came,  by  some  magic,  no  one  appeared  against 
him  and  the  case  was  dismissed."  !  And  now,  what 
does  the  reader  think  of  Superintendent  Brown's  let- 
ter, wherein  he  says :  "  You  can  tell  Governor  Larra- 
bee  that  our  passenger  engines  are  being  run  by  men 
of  experience,  perfectly  competent  and  trustworthy." 
The    reader   will   remember,   that   up  to  three  days 

1  Creston  Advertiser. 


202  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

before  this,  the  Burlington  required  from  three  to  five 
years  as  fireman,  and  then  three  years  as  an  engineer 
before  he  became    perfectly  competent    and   reliable. 
They  made  the  possession  of  this  experience  so  impor- 
tant that  no  engineer's  knowledge  could  be  taken  on 
testimony,   but  all  men  were  required  to  go  through 
these  years  of  experience  on  the  Burlington  system. 
But  now,  if  a  man  is  willing  to  become  the  tool  of  this 
corporation, — one  laboring  man   to  grab  at  the  throat 
of  another — he  is  promised  first-class  place,  regardless 
of  his  qualifications.       He  is  even  promised  for    the 
work  of  engineer,   $4.00  per  day  and  board,  and  for 
fireman,  $2.25  per  day  and  board,  and  Pinkerton  pro- 
tection   thrown   in.      This    is    a    sudden    change.     It 
guarantees  pay,  and  certifies  as  to  qualification,  both 
in  advance.    No  further  evidence  is  needed  that  classi- 
fication is    not  necessary,  and  is,    as  our  men  claim, 
wrong  in  principle.      Every  effort  possible  was  made 
by  the  officials  of  the  Burlington  to  bias  public  opinion, 
and  the  liberties  taken  with  the  truth  were  marvelous. 
"From  Lincoln,  no  trains  moving  west  of  McCook. 
Superintendent  Calvert  said  he  had  men,  but  he  was 
unwilling  to  send  them  out  unprotected,    because  he 
had  reason  to  fear  violence  on  the  western    division, 
and  he  also  said  the  trains  would  soon  be  running  as 
usual,    if    the    people    would    show  the   company  the 
sympathy  they  really  felt."  '     The  reader  will  see  later 
how  much  sympathy  there  was  for  the  Burlington  in 
Nebraska. 

1  Kansas  City  Journal- 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

WHO    CAME. 

To  return  to  Aurora:  Division  Master  Mechanic 
Forsyth  sent  the  following  telegram  to  General  Man- 
ager Stone:  "The  firemen  and  engineers  have  boycot- 
ted stores  from  selling  our  men  provisions;  can't  get 
anything  to  eat.  Have  dining  car  sent.  Can't  you 
make  arrangements  to  get  us  provisions  from  Chicago?" 

From  the  Aurora  Express:  "A  big  lie  some- 
where, let  us  look  for  it. — An  Express  repre- 
sentative called  on  all  the  Main  street  provision  stores, 
and  showed  them  the  above,  and  they  said  there  was 
not  a  word  of  truth  in  it  as  far  as  they  knew,  and  said 
it  was  an  outrage  to  publish  such  a  thing.  He  showed 
it  to  the  leading  members  of  the  Brotherhood  who 
said  they  had  never  thought  of  such  a  thing  and  did 
not  believe  Forsyth  had  sent  it. 

Mr.  Forsyth  himself  was  next  seen  and  when  shown 
the  dispatch  said  it  was  correct.  A  reporter,  in  fur- 
ther tracing  the  facts,  discovered  that  the  only  foun- 
dation for  the  story  is  that  Grampp,  who  keeps  a  sa- 
loon and  hotel  near  the  depot,  had  told  two  of  the  new 
men  that  he  thought  it  was  not  to  his  interest  to  keep 
them."  A  concerted  effort  was  made  along  the  whole 
line  to  make  it  appear  that  an  armed  force  was  neces- 
sary to  prevent  the  destruction  of.  property  and  loss  of 
life,  and  thereby  turn  the  tide  of  public  opinion  against 
the  old  men      The  local  papers  along  the  whole  line 


204  THE   BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

evidence  the  fact  that  the  conduct  of  the  old  men  was 
beyond  reproach  and  whatever  hoodlum  element  there 
was  afloat  was  brought  in  by  the  Burlington.  The 
Chicago  JVezvs  !  said :  "At  the  General  offices  this  morn- 
ing  the  rush  of  applicants  for  positions  was  even  great- 
er than  yesterday.  Not  less  than  a  hundred  men 
crowded  and  hustled  each  other  outside  G.  W. 
Rhodes'  office.  The  crowd  was  of  the  same  motley 
character  as  that  of  yesterday.  Some  of  the  men 
were  respectable  looking,  well  dressed  fellows.  Others 
were  men  of  gray  beards  and  venerable  mein,  whose 
only  commendable  qualities  would  appear  to  be  that 
they  were  veterans  at  the  business,  if  they  were  ever  in  it 
at  all.  There  was  another  class,  whose  bearing,  dress, 
and  general  deportment  bespoke  the  genus  Bum." 

"The  false  and  sensational  reports  from  Aurora, 
published  in  the  Chicago  daily  papers,  deserve  the  most 
severe  denunciation.  The  strikers  have  been  peace- 
able and  orderly;  have  made  no  attempt  to  interfere 
violently  with  railroad  traffic,  and  are  numbered  among 
our  best  citizens.  But,  while  they  enjoy  the  esteem  of 
the  public,  there  is  on  the  other  hand,  no  ground  for 
the  report  that  the  people  of  Aurora  are  hostile  to  the 
Burlington  road.  Aurora  deplores  the  strike  because 
of  its  injurious  effect  upon  the  business  of  the  city. 
We  should  be  glad  to  see  the  difficulty  speedily  adjust- 
ed on  the  basis  of  mutual  concessions  and  compromise 
to  prevent  further  losses,  not  only  to  the  community 
directly,  but  indirectly  through  losses  suffered  by  the 
road,  and  the  enginemen  who  are  residents  here." 2 

This  is  a  fair  sample  of  public  opinion  all  along  the 
line  outside  of  Chicago,  and  it  furnishes  proof  that  the 

1  February  28,  188S.         2  Aurbra,  (111.)  Beacon. 


WHO   CAME.  205 

desire  for  selfish  leadership  characterizes  the  officials 
to  a  greater  degree  than  the  strikers.  The  utter  dis- 
regard of  gentlemanly  dealing,  and  the  violation  of 
the  rules  of  their  own  making,  by  the  officials,  became 
an  aggravation  to  the  men.  The  Burlington  men 
passed  from  the  strictest  enforcement  of  discipline  to 
an  utter  disregard  of  their  own  laws,  so  as  to  be  able 
on  one  hand  to  take  on  unqualified  and  disreputable 
men,  and  on  the  other  to  make  it  impossible  for  their 
former  employes  to  return.  Their  motto  seemed  to 
be :     "  We  stoop  to  conquer." 

The  engineers  and  firemen  kept  their  halls  open  day 
and  night.  Every  strange  face  that  appeared  on  the 
scene  secured  their  attention.  If  he  was  inclined  to 
work  for  the  Burlington,  his  manliness  was  appealed 
to,  and  if  that  appeal  did  not  succeed  he  was  hired  if 
possible,  and  most  of  those  who  came  first,  came  under 
a  misconception  of  the  situation  and  could  be  easily 
persuaded  to  go  away  and  leave  the  battle  to  be  fought 
by  the  interested  parties.  Many  of  these  were  given 
something  for  expenses,  while  others  were  void  of  prin- 
ciple and  put  a  selling  price  on  themselves,  ranging 
from  $10  to  $50.  Hundreds  were  in  various  ways 
persuaded  to  leave. 

The  picture  was  filled  with  all  phases  of  humanity, 
from  the  appearance  of  high  respectability  to  the  level 
of  the  gutter;  Knight  Templar,  Knight  of  Pythias, 
Odd  Fellow,  B.  of  L.  E.,  B.  of  L.  F.,  G.  A.  R.,  K.  of 
L.,  and  the  man  of  every  known  order,  who  had  sworn 
allegiance  to  his  fellow  man,  converted  into  a  lie  his 
solemn  oath,  taken  before  God  and  man,  and  took  the 
place  of  those  whom  he  had  sworn  to  protect. 


2o6  THE  BURLINGTON  STRIKE. 

It  was  an  astounding  picture  of  human  depravity. 
The  legal  and  moral  right  of  unobligated  men  to  take 
the  places  made  vacant  was  not  questioned,  yet  when 
men  had  taken  an  obligation,  solemn  as  a  marriage 
vow,  no  man  could  take  his  brother's  place,  and  retain 
his  character.  An  occasional  grain  of  gold  however, 
was  mixed  with  the  dross.  A  letter  was  received  at 
Brookfield,  and  enclosed  was  the  following  message : 

Brookfield,  Mo.,  Feb.  28,  1888. 

William  Fulton,  Chapin,  111. 

Do  you  want  to  take  position  on  the  Hannibal 
&  St.  Joseph  R.  R,  on  regular  engine?  If  so,  answer 
and  say  if  you  will  report  here  or  at  Quincy,  at  once. 

S.  E.  Crance,  Supt. 

The  following  is  Mr.  Fulton's  letter: 

Chapin,  III.,  March  20,  1888. 
Mr.  C.  H.  Salmons, 

Dear  Sir: — I  hope  you  will  excuse  me  for  taking 
the  liberty  of  writing  you.  I  wish  to  send  you  a  dispatch 
I  received  from  Superintendent  Crance,  February  28. 
I  do  not  know  where  he  got  my  name,  neither  do  I 
care.  I  have  been  out  of  work  six  months,  but  Mr. 
Crance  knows  now  that  he  addressed  the  wrong  man 
for  a  scab.  I  would  rather  have  the  good  will  of  my 
fellow  man  than  the  great  monopoly — C,  B.  &  Q. 
road.  I  am  not  a  member  of  any  labor  order,  and 
whether  my  action  is  appreciated  or  not,  I  shall  feel 
that  I  have  done  as  I  would  be  done  by.  Wishing  you 
success,  I  remain,         Yours  Truly, 

Wm.  Fulton. 


WHO    CAME.  207 

It  was  a  pleasant  relief  from  the  nauseating  duty  of 
appeal  to  honor,  arid  from  the  purchase  of  the  souls 
and  the  bodies  of  men,  to  realize  that  hundreds  who 
received  offers  of  places  from  the  company  had,  never- 
theless, sufficient  integrity  to  practice  the  grand  truth 
uttered  by  the  Italian  patriot,  Mazzini :  "  It  is  around 
the  standard  of  duty,  rather  than  the  standard  of  self- 
interest,  that  men  must  rally  to  win  the  rights  of 
men." 

"Thousands  of  years  ago,  monarchs  were  everything, 
and  the  masses  were  nothing.  Millions  of  men  could 
be  herded  to  fight  the  battles  of  a  king,  or  to  pile  the 
pyramids  which  should  be  his  tomb ;  the  lash  was  over 
them ;  they  could  only  obey.  They  might  wail,  it  was 
nothing;  they  might  die,  there  were  other  millions  to 
take  their  places  beneath  the  burdens  and  the  lash."  ' 
And  so  it  seemed  then,  as  though  the  educational 
forces  of  the  age  had  been  inverted,  and  the  bettering 
of  the  conditions  of  labor,  through  Mazzini's  principles, 
was  to  be  destroyed  by  the  very  element  which  cre- 
ated it.  The  striking  enginemen  were  astonished  at 
the  number  of  persons  who,  blinded  by  greed  and  self- 
ishness, were  willing  to  lend  themselves  to  the  Bur- 
lington monopoly,  to  violate  all  principles,  and  accept 
a  place  that  was  made  possible  only  by  the  sacrifice  of 
others. 

Many  said  they  had  come  for  bread,  others  for 
revenge.  Every  one  had  an  excuse.  I  never  met  one 
who  defended  his  action,  because  he  thought  the 
Burlington  was  in  the  right.  The  vigilance  of  the 
strikers,  their  presevering  appeals,  their  money  and 
their  friends,  made  the  situation  anything  but  agreeable 

1  Rev.  C.  O.  Brown. 


208  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

for  the  officers  of  the  company.  They  were  tired  out 
trying  to  get  the  passenger  trains  over  the  road  them- 
selves. They  were  hunting  in  every  direction  for 
some  one  who  would  lend  their  assistance.  Letters 
and  messages  were  sent  to  old  employes  who  had 
been  discharged  for  drunkenness;  men  were  accepted 
without  experience,  from  prison,  from  the  gutter;  yet 
the  market  was  open  on  Mr.  Stone's  principle  of  sup- 
ply and  demand.  The  persuasion  of  the  strikers,  and 
their  money,  were  always  diminishing  the  supplv.  The 
officers  said:  "As  fast  as  we  get  them,  the  gang 
(meaning  the  strikers)  gets  hold  of  them,  and  they  are 
gone."  There  came  a  corner  on  the  market  of  supply 
and   demand. 

The  company  gained  control  of  state  and  municipal 
authority  to  accomplish  their  purpose.  Officers  along 
the  Burlington  were  notified  by  the  managers,  to  see 
the  sheriff,  have  shop  men,  carpenters,  and  others  that 
could  be  used,  sworn  in  as  deputies,  and  to  keep  the 
strikers  away,  and  to  post  notices  of  warning  in  all 
conspicuous  places.  Sheriffs,  without  regard  to  the 
necessity,  readily  responded.  At  Brookfield,  one 
hundred  and  forty-seven  men  were  sworn  in  as  depu- 
ties Their  character  and  fitness  were  not  known  by 
the  sheriff,  who  is  responsible  for  their  acts.  They 
were  taken  from  a  list  of  names  furnished  by  the  Bur- 
lington company.  Not  the  slightest  disturbance  had 
occurred  to  create  a  necessity.  The  city  marshal  had 
not  even  been  spoken  to  on  the  subject,  and  none 
existed  so  far  as  the  public  was  aware.  But  the  com- 
pany wanted  a  demonstration,  for  two  reasons:  "  ist, 
to  keep  the  strikers  away,    so  they  could  not  entice  or 


WHO    CAME.  209 

hire  their  new  men.  2nd,  a  demonstration  to  make 
people  believe  violence  was  threatened."  Kansas 
City,  St.  Joseph  and  all  the  cities  along  the  line,  were 
appealed  to  to  furnish  a  police  force  to  guard  the  com- 
pany's property. 

The  officers  did  not  make  any  direct  charge  that 
the  strikers  were  trying  to  destroy  their  property;  yet 
whatever  demonstration  was  made  by  them  which  had 
the  appearance  of  guarding  against  violence,  naturally 
reflected  upon  the  old  enginemen,  in  the  minds  of  the 
public.  Accordingly,  the  greater  the  demonstration 
the  better  for  the  company.  "  At  Chicago  a  subur- 
ban train  which  stopped  at  the  C.  C.  and  I.  C.  cross- 
ing, was  reported  as  having  been  boarded  by  four  men, 
who  got  on  the  engine,  said  a  few  words  to  the  engi- 
neer, and  got  off,  and  this  crew  reported  that  a  coup- 
ling pin  was  put  in  the  engine's  guides  for  the  purpose 
of  breaking  it  down.  There  was  no  proof  that  it  was 
the  strikers.  An  old  conductor  who  had  been  with 
the  company  for  years,  was  on  the  engine,  and  knew 
none  of  them."  "  At  9:  30  a.  M.,  as  the  preliminaries 
of  starting  were  being  arranged,  half  a  dozen  police 
officers  kept  jealous  watch  over  the  engine.  No  one 
was  allowed  to  approach  it  except  those  in  charge. 
The  causei  of  this  extra  vigilance  was  due,  it  was 
claimed,  to  the  attempt  on  the  suburban  train.  How- 
ever, the  half  dozen  or  so  who  witnessed  the  depart- 
ure of  the  train,  did  not  seem  inclined  to  destroy 
things,  and  kept  a  respectful  distance  without  the  per- 
suasions of  either  fists  or  batons."  ' 

At  12:01  p.  m.  another  train  was  started.  "  The 
engine    was  guarded  by    a  squad  of  police  as  before, 

1  Chicago  Evening  News. 


2IO  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 


and  no  one  was  allowed  within  three  yards  of  the  en- 
gine. A  small  crowd  witnessed  the  departure  of  the 
train,  but  no  attempt  was  made  to  interfere  with  it  in 
any  way."  "  The  crowd  of  applicants,  so  far,  had 
been  in  no  way  interfered  with  or  molested  by  the 
strikers,  the  latter  having  been,  in  fact,  conspicuous 
by  their  absence  from  the  precincts  of  the  offices  and 
depot  ever  since  the  strike  was  inaugurated,"  yet  every 
demonstration  of  this  character  carried  with  it  a 
supposition  in  the  minds  of  the  public  that  the  neces- 
sity existed,  and  it  was  naturally  laid  at  the  doors  of  the 
strikers,  and  the  greater  the  demonstration,  the  great- 
er the  reflection.  The  laws  of  both  engineers  and 
firemen  prohibit  the  molestation  of  property  under 
penalty  of  expulsion.  The  weeding  out  process,  the 
effect  of  their  rules,  would  naturally  leave  men  of 
character,  and  they  were  greatly  annoyed  to  have  it 
traduced  by  such  demonstrations  which  later  became 
monotonous,  both  in  number  and  kind. 

We  have  said  before,  that  whatever  of  the  radical 
was  found  among  the  strikers  later,  was  an  outgrowth 
of  the  feeling  that  their  character  was  being  unjustlv 
traduced.  The  war  of  the  rebellion  produced  a  Booth; 
politics  produced  a  Guiteau.  It  is  simply  impossible 
to  have  a  strike  like  the  Burlington,  with  one  side  all 
honor,  every  man  living  up  to  the  standard  of  equity 
and  good  deportment,  and  every  man  on  the  other 
side  a  miserable  fraud — the  motto  of  one  side :  "  Do  as 
you  would  be  done  by;"  the  other:  "Might  makes 
right."  It  is  a  known  fact  that  the  two  orders  of 
engineers  and  firemen  deprecated  all  acts  in  violation 
of  the  true  principles  of  good  citizenship.     No  degree 


WHO    CAME.  211 

of  vigilance,  however,  can  dissever  every  evil  element. 
The  act  of  an  individual,  in  violation  of  the  principles 
of  the  institution  of  which  he  is  a  member,  should 
not  be  charged  as  emanating  from  that  institution,  but 
he  should  be  tried  as  an  individual  offender,  and  when 
convicted,  if  the  society  of  which  he  is  a  member  does 
not  purge  itself  by  expulsion  or  punishment,  it  can 
reasonably  be  charged  as  an  accessory.  But  the  Bur- 
lington's deputy  sheriffs,  Pinkerton  bullies,  with  their 
repeating  rifles  and  their  court  proceedings,  menacing 
the  interests  of  the  public  and  usurping  its  powers,  were 
meekly  submitted  to  without  protest.  The  public 
hardly  seemed  to  notice  the  ready  submission  of  sher- 
iffs, police,  and  courts  to  the  will  of  a  corporation. 

Nor  was  the  public  mind  at  all  shocked  at  the  viola- 
tion of  moral  principle  in  the  Burlington's  defence  of 
its  bums  and  drunkards,  which  had  been  gathered  up 
to  man  their  engines.  Even  reputable  newspapers, 
which  ought  to  be  the  channels  of  truthful  information, 
and  by  means  of  which  the  public  mind  is  educated, 
seemed  to  be  as  indifferent  as  a  railroad  official  to 
either  justice  or  truth.  They  were  closed  to  the  dis- 
cussion of  the  points  at  issue.  I  have  been  credibly 
informed  that  a  leading  newspaper  charged  as  high  as 
forty-five  cents  per  line  for  space  for  the  defense  of  the 
much  assailed  men.  Some  newspapers,  just  at  the 
first,  discussed  the  question  of  rights  and  the  relation 
and  duties  of  railroads  to  the  public,  but  very  soon 
something  closed  their  pages  against  anything  not 
emanating  from  a  Burlington  official,  directlv  or  indi- 
rectly. As  an  effort  to  buy  silence,  we  append  the 
following  sample  of  letter  sent  to  the  newspapers  along 


212  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

the    Burlington  system  to    control   the    public  press: 

Creston,  Iowa,  April  6,  1888. 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad, 

Mr.  E.  J.  Sidey,  editor  Commonwealth: 

Dear  Sir : — If  in  unison  with  your  views,  give 
the  company  some  nice  editorials  commenting  on  the 
strike.  It  occurs  to  me  our  citizens  ought  to  shield 
the  company  as  far  as  possible,  as  their  interests 
are  identical  with  our  people.  While  our  people 
give  the  company  considerable  cash  in  return,  the 
company,  through  their  different  avenues,  keep  a  vol- 
ume of  money  flowing  through  the  arteries  of  Creston 
industries.  In  return  will  endeavor  to  get  you  value 
received,  but  do  not  turn  the  flag  of  truce  on  me  in 
return." '  Very  Truly, 

(Signed)  G.  W.  Fogg. 

The  allurements  of  such  bate,  so  nice  and  tempting, 
no  doubt  led  many  editors  to  believe  that  the  Burling- 
ton was  in  a  bad  way,  and  needed  defending.  Yet 
for  all  the  influence  used,  there  were  some  editors 
who  stood  for  justice  and  discussed  the  question  fear- 
lessly. It  is  a  notable  fact  that  most  of  these  editors 
were  personally  acquainted  with  the  striking  engine- 
men  and  the  circumstances  surrounding  them.  The 
editor  of  the  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  Gazette  was  true  to  his 
convictions,  as  were  also  the  editors  of  the  Railway 
News  Reporter \  Omaha,  Neb.;  Wymore  Democrat, 
Neb.;  News,  Atchison,  Kans.;  Railway  Service  Ga- 
zette, Toledo,  Ohio.;  National  Car  and  Locomotive 
Builder,  Chicago;  Railroad  and  Engineering  Journal^ 

1  Chicago  World,  May  20,  1S88. 


WHO    CAME.  213 

New  York  City ;  Elmira,  New  York,  Telegram ;  the 
Creston,  Iowa,  Advertiser;  Chicago  World;  and  St. 
Joseph,  Mo.,  Patriot ;  also  a  few  labor  papers.  But 
the  great  majority  of  the  papers  were  on  the  side  of 
monopoly  regardless  of  public  interest.  This  placed 
the  strikers,  not  by  direct  charges,  but  by  implications 
in  a  very  unfavorable  light,  going  so  far  as  to  say 
that  "If  chief  Arthur,  or  Chief  Powderly,  or  chief 
anybody  else,  inveighs  against  interference  or  violence, 
he  is  guilty  of  willful  hypocrisy." 

Such  inferences  carry  with  them  in  the  mind  of  the 
reader — unacquainted  with  the  character  of  the  men 
alluded  to — the  idea  of  socialism,  and  other  issues  that 
are  abhorrent  to  the  honest  laborer,  and  more  so  than 
to  any  other  class.  What  class  would  do  what  the 
laborer  did  at  Cleveland?  "In  the  great  parade  on 
labor  day  at  Cleveland  a  few  anarchists  scorning  the 
flag  of  the  union,  hoisted  the  hated  emblem  of  anar- 
chy. This  insult  to  the  glorious  flag  of  the  republic 
fired  the  loyal  hearts  of  the  patriotic  sons  of  toil,  and 
as  a  result  the  anarchists  were  most  unceremoniously 
fired  from  the  grounds  with  broken  heads  and  bloody 
noses."  Some  of  these  papers  seemed  to  express  sur- 
prise that  these  laboring  men  should  have  been  so 
prompt  to  resent  an  insult  to  the  public.  More  loyal 
and  patriotic  hearts  do  not  beat  in  America  than  those 
beneath  the  broad  chests  of  the  men  whose  strong 
arms  have  made  the  republic  what  it  is,  and  who  in 
the  machine  shops,  upon  her  railroads  and  in  her  fer- 
tile fields,  are  still  clearing  her  pathway  to  greater 
future  glory.  In  the  late  war  between  the  north  and 
south,  was  it  the  representatives  of  capital  alone  that 


214  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

offered  their  blood  for  the  cause  they  believed  to  be 
just?"1  The  Burlington  strikers  were  as  honest  in 
their  convictions,  and  were  as  ready  with  their  sacrifices 
to  maintain  them,  as  were  the  men  of  1861  to  1865. 

But  the  weight  of  all  this  pressure  bore  heavily  upon 
these  men,  and  as  we  look  at  it  now,  after  the  smoke 
of  battle  has  cleared  away,  we  wonder  at  the  unanimi- 
ty with  which  they  stood  the  test,  and  held  steadfast. 
Very  few  were  affected  sufficiently  to  turn  back  to 
the  company,  which  was  no  doubt  greatly  desired. 
I  am  reminded  of  one  man — James  Johnson,  of  Gales- 
burg,  111., — who  said  "  He  did  not  expect  to  live  long 
enough  to  live  down  the  disgrace  of  being  a  C,  B.  & 
Q.  striker."  Such  men  as  this  have  lived  in  all  ages, 
and  in  all  countries.  They  are  the  enemies  of  prog- 
ress. They  are,  however,  always  ready  to  accept 
the  benefits  earned  by  others,  and  this  man  no  doubt, 
influenced  partly  by  the  newspapers,  more  by  his  in- 
ane greed,  forgetful  that  his  vote  and  voice  had  been 
joined  with  his  brothers,  turned  his  back  upon  them 
and  honor,  and  joined  that  company  better  suited  to 
his  nature — "  the  scabs."  To  more  fully  show  the  one- 
sided character  of  the  controversy  as  presented  in  the 
leading  newspapers,  we  give  in  the  next  chapter,  quo- 
tations from  the  Chicago  Journals. 

1  Railway  Service  Gazette, 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

PUBLIC  OPINION  MADE  TO  ORDER. 

The  famous  Creston  letter  is  made  the  foundation 
for  the  following  editorials  on  March  3: 

The  Chicago  Mail  said:  "The  fact  must  not  be 
overlooked  that  the  striking  engineers  have  assumed 
a  grave  responsibility,  and  that  among  those  who  will 
suffer,  are  thousands  not  interested  in  the  fight  be- 
tween the  railroads  and  its  employes.  It  is  a  serious 
thing  to  cripple  business,  to  interfere  with  the  move- 
ments of  the  traveling  community,  and  possibly,  in  the 
end,  to  have  caused  violence  and  bloodshed.  If  the 
strike  now  on  becomes  otherwise  than  peaceable  in 
any  of  its  features,  the  public  will  not  be  tolerant.  It 
requires  a  great  deal  of  patience  on  the  part  of  the 
community  at  any  time  to  endure  a  strike  where  the 
crippled  employer  is  a  public  servant,  £or  the  first  evil 
effects  in  such  a  case  are  felt  by  the  people  at  large. 
The  present  strike  is  of  the  sort  referred  to.  It  hurts 
the  public  at  once,  and  seriously.  The  public  will  not 
submit  to  it  if  the  fight  is  greatly  prolonged.  If,  as  in 
the  great  strike  of  1877,  there  is  violence  from  any 
source  the  sentiment  of  chafing  endurance  will  change 
at  once  to  one  of  earnest  aggressiveness  and  some- 
body will  be  punished.  It  is  well  that  those  conduct- 
ing the  warfare  should  bear  the  attitude  of  the  peo- 
ple in  mind." 

The    Chicago    Evening    Journal  said :     "  The  un- 


2l6  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

biased  and  disinterested  person  who  examines  the  exist- 
ing controversy  between  the  Chicago,  Burlington  and 
Quincy  railroad  and  its  striking  engineers  and  fire- 
men, will  find  it  difficult  to  reach  a  conclusion  justify- 
ing some  of  the  demands  of  the  strikers.  Their  re- 
quests are  in  some  respects  extraordinary  and  indefen- 
sible. How  much  the  general  public  may  be  disposed 
to  sympathize  with  the  engineers,  who  as  a  class  are 
intelligent,  courageous,  and  self-sacrificing  men,  yet 
they  cannot  reasonably  expect  public  support  in  un- 
reasonable demands.  The  sooner  this  entire  contro- 
versy shall  be  submitted  to  intelligent  arbitration,  and 
adjusted  upon  a  basis  of  reason  and  justice,  the  better 
for  all  concerned.  Even  if  the  demands  of  the  engi- 
neers are  worthy  of  favorable  consideration,  and  the 
object  of  arbitration  should  be  to  ascertain  and  pass 
on  the  actual  merits  of  the  case,  no  time  should  be  lost 
by  either  side  to  bring  the  unfortunate  contest  to  a 
speedy  termination  by  all  rational  and  practical  means 
in  their  power." 

The  Chicago  Tribune  said  in  an  editorial  article: 
"Taken  in  connection  with  the  vital  and  fundamental 
demand  for  a  leveling  up  of  wages  and  leveling  down 
of  general  efficiency,  individual  merit  and  the  incen- 
tive to  personal  effort  and  ordinary  ambition  on  the 
part  of  the  employes  of  the  road,  we  should  say,  with- 
out further  light  upon  the  subject  than  we  now  pos- 
sess, that  the  Brotherhood  have  crowded  the  company 
to  the  extreme  limit  of  endurance.  It  may  be  that 
there  is  some  supplement  to  this  correspondence  that 
has  not  been  given  to  the  public  and  that  the  Brother- 
hood has  offered  to  recede  from  some  part  of  the  orig- 


V  VV».V  AAV  VliV.V'SIBS  «  V\'\V  v\  N 

VVft'AVftV  V  ■'-v>  '. 


J.    J.    KKLLEY. 

THE    IN  FORM  EK. 


Hit  tiBIWM 

Uf  THfe 

UHIVEHSIIY  OF  ILUMIS 


PUBLIC  OPINION  MADE  TO  ORDER.  2  I  7 

inal  programme ;  as  the  reply  of  the  railroad  company, 
however,  is  dated  only  last  Wednesday,  this  does  not 
seem  to  be  probable.  If  there  has  been  no  modifica- 
tion since  Wednesday,  we  risk  nothing  in  saying  to 
the  representatives  of  the  Brotherhood,  that  whatever 
the  issue  of  the  strike  may  be  they  will  not  be  sus- 
tained as  to  the  justice  of  their  course  by  public  opin- 
ion. It  will  be  said  everywhere  that  they  have  attempt- 
ed to  impose  the  intolerable  despotism  of  an  outside 
labor  council  upon  the  manager  of  this  great  property, 
going  so  far  as  to  suggest  interference  with  them  in 
the  discharge  of  legitimate  and  necessary  duties.  If 
the  case  is  susceptible  of  no  further  explanation,  the 
managers  will  be  upheld  by  impartial  men  in  resisting, 
by  every  means  and  all  the  resources  at  their  com- 
mand, such  a  proposed  invasion  of  their  rights." 

The  Chicago  Daily  News:  "There  can  be  no 
question  that  the  system  which  recognizies  a  difference  in 
ability  of  men  and  in  the  kind  of  service  required  of 
them  is  right,  and  that  the  demand  which  classes  all 
members  of  the  Brotherhood  as  of  equal  ability,  and 
all  kinds  of  service  of  equal  value  is  wrong.  In  its 
application  of  its  system  to  individual  cases  the  com- 
pany may  possibly  be  seriously  at  fault.  In  principle, 
however  the  system  itself  is  fair  and  right.  In  view 
of  its  long  and  honorable  career,  it  is  a  suprise  and  a 
disappointment  to  all  true  friends  of  organized  labor  to 
find  the  Brotherhood  of  Locomotive  Engineers  taking 
a  position  so  inconsistent  with  all  the  prevailing  con- 
ceptions of  American  manhood.  It  must  abandon  so 
untenable  a  position  or  lose  not  only  the  present 
fight,  but  more  important  still,  the  respect  and   confi- 

15 


2 1 8  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

dence  of  the  American  people." 

The  Chicago  Inter  Ocean  and  Herald  were  conser- 
vative and  just,  but  the  Chicago  Times  said:  "The 
last  general  strike  of  the  Locomotive  engineers  in- 
flamed the  nation  to  the  verge  of  revolution.  Scores 
of  lives  were  wantonly  sacrificed.  The  people  were 
appalled  by  the  sight  of  blood  and  fire,  and  Pittsburg 
paid  an  indemnification  bill  of  $13,000,000  and  even 
then  was  not  fitly  punished  for  the  demagogical  coun- 
tenance it  lent  to  the  lawless.  The  Brotherhood  has 
"lived  down"  the  responsibility  for  the  calamity  of  ten 
vears  ago.  Chief  Arthur  has  been  commended  for 
his  sterling  sense.  The  past  has  been  forgotten  and 
forgiven,  and  the  heroic  duties  performed  by  the  engi- 
neers have  elicited,  from  all  classes,  unstinted  admi- 
ration." 

"No  great  strike,  after  what  has  taken  place,  can 
bring  anything  but  defeat,  unless  it  shall  invoke  a  uni- 
versal spirit  of  revolution,  and  the  American  people 
have  given  their  final  verdict  against  revolution  and 
rebellion.  Mr.  Arthur  says  they  have  a  right  to 
stop  work,  and  that  they  have  no  intention  of  interfer- 
ing with  persons  employed  to  take  their  places.  He 
knows  that  the  object  of  the  strike  would  be  negatived 
bv  orderly  withdrawal  and  non-resistance.  .  Such 
action  would  be  equivalent  to  resignation.  A  strike 
means  but  one  thing;  to  refuse  to  work  and  to  make 
sure  that  nobody  else  is  permitted  to  work  in  your 
place,  and  when  Chief  Arthur,  or  Chief  Powderly,  or 
chief  anybody,  inveighs  against  interference  or  vio- 
lence, or  aids  to  the  cause,  he  is  guilty  of  willful  hy- 
pocrisy.      Chief  Arthur  has  called  this  strike.       If  it 


PUBLIC  OPINION  MADE  TO  ORDER.  2IQ. 

shall  prove  harmful  to  commerce,  and  shall  invite  dis- 
order and  loss  of  life,  the  public  will  hold  him  and  his 
co-adjutors  to  a  strict  accountability." 

The  opinions  of  the  Mail,  Journal,  and  Tribune  are 
no  doubt  the  result  of  the  seed  sown  by  the  Burlington 
circular  letter.  But  that  of  the  Times  is  a  wonderful 
exhibition  of  bigotry  and  untruth,  and  if  it  was  not 
written  by  some  official  of  the  Burlington,  the  writer 
must  have  had  some  inducement  other  than  that  of  a 
desire  to  guide  public  opinion  to  the  truth.  The 
charge  that  the  engineers  were  responsible  for  the 
Pittsburg  strike  and  its  consequences,  and  the  allusion 
to  the  people  of  Pittsburg,  was  adding  insult  to  un- 
truth. These  lines  from  the  Times  betray  an  under- 
lving  baseness  and  disregard  for  truth  and  fairness  that 
is  astounding,  and  after  reading  them,  nothing  in  or 
about  the  paper  should  surprise  us.  The  Chicago 
Herald,  of  July  24,  1889,  had  a  column  and  a  half  of 
discussion  of  the  character  of  the  editor  of  the  Times, 
J.  J.  West,  not  even  sparing  accusations  of  obtaining 
money  by  false  representations  and  of  bribe  giving, 
and  it  is  no  wonder,  if  there  is  any  foundation  for  such 
charges,  that  articles  vituperative  and  malicious,  writ- 
ten either  for  him  or  by  him,  should  appear  in  his 
paper.  Yet  they  were  read,  and  exercised  a  power- 
ful influence  in  forming  public  opinion.  They  created 
difficulties,  if  not  dissensions,  among  men  in  the  inter- 
est of  organized  labor,  weakening  conservative  men, 
and  abating  that  heroic  defence  of  their  principles 
which  is  so  essential  to  success. 

It  is  greatly  to  be  regretted  that  the  engineer's  side 
of  the  question  was  not  before  the    people    as    well. 


2  20  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

It  is  a  sad  reflection  upon  the  public  educators  of  a 
great  country,  as  our  newspapers  undoubtedly  are  for 
good  or  for  evil,  that  they  should  become  such  violent 
partisans  on  one  side,  when  the  facts  in  the  case  were 
so  easily  obtainable,  and  were  so  contradictory  to  the 
statements  which  they  made.  It  is  not  unreasonable 
to  believe  that  the  literary  ability  employed  in  writing 
the  famous  circular  letter,  to  which  we  have  given 
respectful  notice,  was  quite  equal  to  the  writing  of  any 
of  the  editorials  which  are  honored  with  quotation  in 
this  chapter. 


CHAPTER*XXXIV. 

THE    USAGES    OF    OTHER    ROADS. 

It  is  very  curious  that  the  requests  upon  the  Burling- 
ton should  call  forth  such  vehement  denunciation  of  the 
conditions  asked,  when  so  many  companies  had  ac- 
knowledged their  justness  with  their  signature!  We 
append  portions  of  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe 
schedule,  with  like  conditions  which  the  Burlington 
objected  to,  and  were  so  roundly  condemned  by  these 
editors. 

ATCHISON,    TOPEKA  &    SANTA    FE    RAILROAD  COMPANY. 

SOUTHERN  KANSAS  RAILWAY    COMPANY. 

MECHANICAL  DEPARTMENT. 

"  The  following  schedule  of  rates,  rules  and  regula- 
tions, are  hereby  agreed  upon  on  behalf  of  the  above 
specified  companies  and  the  engineers  and  firemen 
employed  thereby." 

Article  i. — "  No  engineer  or  fireman  shall  be 
suspended  or  discharged  upon  any  charge  whatever, 
without  first  having  a  fair  and  impartial  hearing  and 
his  guilt  shall  be  established,  with  the  exception  of  ag- 
gravated cases,  such  as  serious  collisions  or  intoxica- 
tion." 

"  There  shall  be  a  board  of  inquiry,  composed  of  the 
division  superintendent,  division  master  mechanic, 
and  one  disinterested  engineer  from  the  division  on 
which  complaint  may  arise,  whose  duty  it  shall  be  to 
investigate  all  charges  of  misconduct  on  the  part  of  the 


222  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

engineers  and  firemen.  The  right  to  appeal  from 
local  to  general  officers,  as  also  the  right  of  the  engi- 
neers or  firemen  to  act  as  a  committee  on  conference, 
will  be  duly  recognized,  and  leave  of  absence  from 
duty  will  be  granted  for  that  purpose." 

Article  ii.  « Engineers  entering  the  service  of 
the  company  for  the  first  time  shall  be  employed  by 
the  superintendent  or  assistant  superintendent  of 
machinery." 

Article  in.  "All  firemen  who  are  to  be  promot- 
ed to  the  position  of  engineer  will  be  examined  by  the 
superintendent  or  assistant  superintendent  of  machin- 
ery. The  division  master  mechanic  may  recom- 
mend for  examination  and  promotion  such  firemen  on 
their  respective  divisions  as  they  believe  will  make 
good  engineers,  always  giving  the  oldest  firemen  the 
preference." 

Article  iv.  "  It  being  important  to  the  company 
that  every  engine  in  service  shall  be  worked  to  its 
fullest  capacity,  and  in  order  that  there  may  be  no 
misunderstanding  between  the  transportation  and  me- 
chanical departments  as  to  what  is  the  working  capac- 
ity of  an  engine  in  service,  the  rating  as  to  the  average 
load  to  be  hauled  will  be  fixed  from  time  to  time,  as 
necessities  may  require,  by  the  general  superintend- 
ent and  superintendent  of  machinery,  who  will  jointly 
furnish  the  division  officers  all  necessary  instructions 
pertaining  thereto." 

Article  v.  "  The  compensation  of  engineers  and 
firemen  in  passenger  service  shall  be  as  follows:  En- 
gineers— On  all  classes  of  locomotives,  $3.50  per  100 
miles,  or  less,  per  day;  all  over  100  miles,  three  and 


Till;  USAGES  OF  OTHER  ROADS.  223 

one-half  (3j4)  cents  per  mile;  except  on  engines  haul- 
ing passenger  trains  over  the  mountains,  which  shall 
be  three  and  three-fourths  (33A)  cents  per  mile. 
Firemen — On  four-wheel  coupled  engines,  fifty-three 
(53)  percent  of  the  engineer's  pay,  and  on  other  than 
four-wheel  coupled  engines,  fifty-five  (55)  per  cent  of 
the  engineer's  paw  Eight  hours  shall  constitute  a 
day's  work  for  engineers  and  firemen  in  passenger 
service,  and  no  overtime  will  be  allowed  until  those 
hours  are  exceeded.  When  the  schedule  for  any 
train  exceeds  eight  hours,  all  delays  of  more  than  one 
hour  beyond  the  schedule  will  be  paid  for  at  the  rate 
of  eighteen  (18)  cents  per  half  hour  for  engineers, 
and  ten  (10)  cents  per  half  hour  for  firemen." 

Article  vi.  "  The  compensation  of  engineers 
and  firemen  in  freight  service  shall  be  as  follows: 
Engineers — On  all  classes  of  locomotives,  $4.00  per 
100  miles,  or  less,  per  day:  all  over  100  miles,  four 
(4)  cents  per  mile:  except  on  engines  hauling  freight 
trains  over  the  mountains,  which  shall  be  four  and  one- 
third  (4/^)  cents  per  mile.  Firemen — On  all  four- 
wheel  coupled  engines,  fifty-five  (55)  Per  cent  °^  tne 
engineer's  pay:  and  on  other  than  four-wheel  coupled 
engines,  fifty-eight  (58)  per  cent  of  the  engineer's 
pay." 

Article  x.  "  Ten  hours  shall  constitute  a  day's 
work  for  engineers  and  firemen  in  freight  service,  and 
no  overtime  will  be  allowed  until  those  hours  are  ex- 
ceeded. When  the  schedule  for  any  train  exceeds  ten 
hours,  all  delays  of  more  than  one  hour  beyond  the 
schedule  will  be  paid  for  at  the  rate  of  eighteen  (18) 
cents  per  half  hour  for  engineers,  and  ten  (10)    cents 


224  THE  BURLINGTON  STRIKE. 

per  half  hour  for  firemen.  Ten  miles  per  hour  shall  be 
considered  the  running  time  of  extra  or  irregular 
trains  and  all  scheduled  trains  that  do  not  reach  ten 
miles  per  hour.  A  delay  of  fourteen  minutes  over  the 
hour  shall  not  be  counted:  a  delay  of  fifteen  minutes 
over  the  hour  shall  be  considered  a  half  hour." 

Article  xiii.  "  When  an  engine  is  ordered  out 
and  not  used  on  account  of  train  being  abandoned,  or 
other  cause,  the  engineer  of  such  engine  shall  be 
allowed  one-third  of  a  day's  pa}-  for  the  division  and 
class  of  engine,  and  stand  first  out  on  the  board." 

Article  xv.  "  Engineers  and  firemen  shall  not 
be  required  to  go  out  when  they  need  rest,  and  are 
expected  to  judge  for  themselves  whether  they  need 
rest.  When  engineers  or  firemen  feel  that  they  re- 
quire rest,  and  will  be  unable  to  go  out,  they  must 
report  same  to  roundhouse  foreman  when  they  regis- 
ter their  arrival.  Eight  hours  shall  be  considered 
sufficient  for  rest." 

Article  xvi.  "  Engineers  and  firemen  shall  be 
promoted  according  to  seniority  and  ability  on  their 
respective  divisions,  unless  incapacity  is  established. 
Engineers  having  engines  and  runs  thev  are  not  enti- 
tled to  according  to  the  terms  of  the  agreement  made 
between  the  company  and  engineers  July  i,  1886,  shall 
be  removed,  and  said  engines  and  runs  given  to  the 
men  according  to  seniority  on  their  respective  divis- 
ions. The  foregoing  to  apply  to  all  roads  covered  by 
said  agreement.  In  case  of  a  dispute  between  the 
company  and  the  engineers  as  regards  seniority,  the 
engineers  shall  furnish  a  list,  which  shall  be  accepted 
unless  proven  to  be  in  error.     Seniority  of  engineers 


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THE    USAGES    OF   OTHER    ROADS.  225 

shall  be  reckoned  from  the  time  of  entering  road   ser- 
vice on  their  respective  divisions.'' 

Article  xvii.  "Engines  will  be  run  c  first  in  first 
out,'  except  when  the  superintendent  of  machinery 
finds  it  necessary  to  assign  engines  to  certain  fast 
runs,  which  will  be  done  only  when  absolutely  neces- 
sary." 

Article  xx.  "  Engineers'  and  firemen's  time  will 
commence  at  time  of  the  departure  of  train,  as 
designated  in  caller's  book,  and  trip  tickets  will  be  dated 
accordingly.  In  cases  where  the  roundhouse  register 
and  train  sheets  conflict  as  to  arrivals,  the  matter  will 
be  investigated,  and,  if  proper,  the  time  of  engineers 
and  firemen  taken  from  the  roundhouse  register." 

Article  xxiii.  "  Hostlers  shall  be  provided  at 
all  terminal  stations,  whose  duty  it  is  to  take  engines 
on  arrival.  Engineers  or  firemen  shall  not  be  required 
to  put  away  engines,  clean  fires,  or  blow  out  fronts  at 
terminal  stations." 

Article  xxiv.  "  Engineers  and  firemen,  after 
being  permanently  located  on  a  division,  who  shall  be 
transferred  at  the  request  of  the  company,  shall  have 
the  privilege  of  returning  to  their  respective  divisions 
before  any  others  are  hired  or  promoted  on  the  divis- 
ions from  which  they  were  transferred." 

Article  xxv.  "  The  company  on  its  part,  and 
the  engineers  and  firemen  on  their  part,  agree  that 
they  will  perform  the  several  duties  and  stipulations  as 
.provided  for  in  this  agreement  until  thirty  days'  notice 
has  been  given  by  either  party  to  the  other  requesting 
a  change  in  the  same." 

Article  xxvi.     "  In  case  a    difference    of  opinion 


2  26  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

as  to  the  construction  of  this  agreement  shall  arise  be- 
tween the  engineers  or  firemen  and  division  officers, 
a  written  state  of  the  questions  at  issue  must  be  sub- 
mitted by  the  engineers  or  firemen,  as  the  case  may- 
be, to  the  general  manager,  through  the  division  officers, 
and  superintendent  of  machinery,  for  his  construction. 
Grievances,  to  be  considered,  must  be  presented  with- 
in sixty  da}rs  after  their  occurrence*." 

Article  xxvii.  "  On  the  adoption  of  the  fore- 
going schedule,  rules  and  regulations,  all  previous 
schedules,  rules  and  regulations  shall  become  void. 
This  agreement  shall  be  in  affect  from  and  after  Feb- 
ruary ist,  1888." 

For  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railroad  Co., 
Geo.  Hackney,  Supt.  of  Machinery. 

For  Southern  Kansas  Railway  Company. 

Geo.  Hackney. 
For    Locomotive  Engineers  and  Firemen  on  A.  T.  & 
S.  F.  R.  R.  and  So.  Kas.  Ry. 

I.  Conroe,  Wm,  M.  Hamilton, 

Chairman.  Secretary. 

This  is  a  Boston  company,  and  the  president,  Mr. 
W.  B.  Strong,  said  in  an  address  to  the.  stockholders : 
"Wise  leaders,  honest  and  intelligent  counselors, 
working  with  and  for  the  welfare  of  the  workers 
in  any  branch  of  industry,  can  accomplish  much  for 
the  advancement  of  its  members,  but  a  demagogue  is 
as  bad  in  one  place  as  in  another;  wherever  he  is,  he 
does  harm,  but  in  my  judgment  the  interests  of  the 
engineers  and  of  whom  they  serve,  as  well,  also,  of 
the  public,  who  are  primarily  most  concerned,  have 
been,  and  will  be  promoted,  by  maintaining  the  organ- 


THE    USAGES    OF    OTHER    ROADS.  227 

ization  and  following  the  just,  fair,  and  conservative 
policy,  which  has  generally  characterized  the  Order." 
This  high  compliment  was  paid  the  engineers  and 
firemen,  after  they  had  shown  such  loyalty  to  their 
Orders  as  to  stop  work  in  sympathy  with  the  Bur- 
lington men,  who  were  so  severely  condemned  by  the 
Chicago  papers. 

The  request  for  changed  and  better  terms,  as  made 
in  the  schedule  presented  to  the  Burlington  authorities, 
was  not  new  in  railroad  usages.  It  was  only  the  rate 
generally  in  vogue  which  was  demanded.  Here  is  a 
short  list  that  could  be  extended  for  pages,  of  lead- 
ing trunk  lines  with  the  dates  affixed  at  which  they 
made  distinct  and  formal  orders  covering  the  same 
contract  rates  of  pay,  demanded  by  the  engineers  of 
the  C,  B.  &  Q.  road. 

Union  Pacific,  April  i,  1887. 

Chicago  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul,  Dec.  16,  1887. 

San  Antonio  &  Arkansas  Pass,  Jan.  1,  1888. 

Southern  Pacific,  Jan.  15,  1888. 

Fort  Scott  &  Gulf,  Mar.  1,  1888, 

Chicago  &  Alton,  Feb.  1,  1888. 

Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe,  Feb.  1,  1888. 

Southern  Kansas  R.  R.  Co.,  Feb.  1,  1888. 

Necessity  has  compelled  combined  action  in  rail- 
road service,  and  the  increase  of  magnitude  of  the 
corporate  holding  has  increased  the  necessity. 

I  have  before  me  a  pamphlet  emanating  from  sev- 
enty-five engineers  of  the  Michigan  Southern  rail- 
road, bearing  date,  January  13,  1886.  It  is  a  protest 
to  the  directors  and  stockholders  of  the  road,  It 
says:  "Our  trouble  dates  from  a  few  weeks  after  the 


228  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

appointment  to  the  road  of  a  new  officer,  that  of  Gen- 
eral Master  Mechanic,  Mr.  Segley,  who  had  not  been 
here  long  before  he  decided  that  the  engineers — to  use 
his  own  language — "  know  to  much."  He  seemed  to 
think  it  very  necessary  for  the  interest  of  the  com- 
pany to  employ  men  who  know  less;  and  in  order  to 
bring  this  about,  he  commenced  a  system  of  petty 
annoyances.  Mr.  Segley,  without  giving  any  notice 
that  the  rules  had  been  changed,  under  which  the  engi- 
neers and  firemen  of  your  road  had  been  paid  for 
years,  made  a  new  departure  as  to  extra  time.  By 
the  rules  of  the  road,  extra  time  was  allowed  in  all 
cases,  after  a  man  had  run  over  one  hundred  and  thir- 
ty miles  in  twenty-four  hours.  An  engineer  on  the 
western  division  ran  his  engine  one  hundred  and 
eight}-  miles  within  twenty-four  hours,  and  Mr.  Segley 
told  the  time-keeper  not  to  allow  the  usual  extra. 
W  e  had  always  been  allowed  live  engines,  to  runs 
number  i,  2,  3  and  8- on  the  western  division.  Mr. 
Segley  decided  that  they  must  be  run  with  four  en- 
gines, and  no  pay  for  Sunday  work.  The  men,  on 
drawing  their  pay,  found  the  time  from  four  to  six 
days  short  of  the  time  that  should  have  been  allowed 
according  to  their  agreement  with  the  company.  On 
the  Air  Line,  engineers  have  had  to  run  their  engines 
thirteen  times  over  the  road — the  distance  is  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-three  miles — within  seven  da}-s. 

The  collision  on  the  Air  Line  at  Millersburg,  be- 
tween passenger  train  No.  9,  and  a  freight  engine,  in 
which  engineer  Charles  Dunewell  was  killed,  was  one 
of  the  results  of  forcing  tired  Out  men  to  go  be}-ond 
endurance.     If  a  man  refused  to  go  out,  on    account 


THE    USAGES    OF    OTHER    ROADS.  229 

of  being  completely  used  up,  he  would  have  to  lose 
the  time.  We  tried  to  have  an  interview  with  Mr. 
Segley  but  he  would  not  listen  to  any  "committee,"  or 
that  he  would  not  be  questioned,  and  we  found  it 
impossible  to  induce  him  to  give  us  a  hearing.  He 
would  say,  "If  you  do  not  like  it,  leave."  Mr.  Segley 
discharged  four  men  from  the  service  on  the  western 
division  without  giving  any  reason  for  it  except  that 
they  were  not  wanted.  No  fault  was  found  with  them, 
neither  was  it  pretended  that  any  duty  had  been  neg- 
lected, but  that  the  falling  off  of  business  necessitated 
a  reduction  of  staff.  At  the  same  time  Mr.  Rice  of 
Chicago  was,  by  the  instructions  of  Mr.  Segley,  hiring 
men  to  till  the  places  of  these  old  and  tried  servants  of 
the  company.  One  of  our  engineers  obtained  a  leave 
of  absence  for  one  day.  It  came  to  the  ears  of  the 
master  mechanic  that  he  was  doing  it  in  order  to  try 
and  lay  our  grievances  before  the  higher  officers  of  the 
road.  His  leave  was  recalled,  and  he  was  ordered  to 
go  out,  which  he  refused  to  do,  and  he  was  discharged. 
Another  engineer  came  into  La  Porte  completely  tired 
out.  His  engine  had  to  go  on  through,  and  he  was 
ordered  to  go  on  with  her.  He  told  the  officer  that  he 
had  fallen  asleep  twice  before  arriving  at  La  Porte, 
although  he  had  taken  all  the  precaution  possible  to 
prevent  it,  not  even  allowing  himself  to  sit  down.  It 
was  still  insisted  that  he  should  go.  He  said  that  he 
would  not  endanger  the  lives  of  the  passengers,  by 
running  an  engine  while  asleep,  for  the  whole  southern 
road,  and  positively  refused  to  go  out  again  until  he 
had  some  sleep.  He  was  immediately  discharged. 
These  facts  were  testified  to  by  seventy-five  men,  and 


23O  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

when    these    facts  were  presented,  the  president,  Mr 
Phillips,    answered:  "I  decline  to  interfere   with  any 
action  taken  by  my  subordinates."     S.  H.  Egerlv. 
the     Michigan     Central  railroad,  in  1877   and  1878, 
another  startling  instance  of  this  personal  managem 
of  browbeating,    of  arrogant  assumption,    demanc 
even  the  manhood  of  the  men  under  him,  while 
higher  officers  looked  on  complacently,  and  decline 
interfere  with  any  action  taken  by  their  subordin: 
This  kind  of  men   can   be  found  in  every  brand, 
railroad  service,  and  probably  always  will  be  fc. 
and  the  smaller    the  official  position  the  greater 
aggravation.     If  these  editors  cannot  defend  such  1 
as  Messrs.  Segley    and    Egerly,    who   are   id. 
with    nothing   but    themselves    and  their  salary:  tl 
these  great  deprecators    of  organized  labor,  and 
fenders  of  corporations,  must  acknowledge  that 
ized  labor  conducted  upon  right  principles,  has  I 
necessity,  and  has    affected  a  cure,  at  least  in  a 
measure,  by  securing  laws  to  govern  the  avarice 
personalitv  that  enter  so  largely  into  corporate  auth 
ity.     The  counterparts  of  Mr.  Segley  live   to-da-. 
are  in  place  along  the  line  of  the  C,  B.  &  Q.  railr 
President  Perkins,  like  President   Phillips,  refused 
intervene.     The  officials    are    privileged  to  squander 
millions  of  other  people's  money  in  an  attempt  to  foster 
a   wrong,    and  the    Chicago   papers    are    helping    by 
publishing    one    side    of    a  contest    that    involves  the 
rights  of  thousands ;  while  many  of  the  newspapers,  in 
their  editorials,  are  defending  corporations  and  mak- 
ing  incisive    allusions    to   the  engineers  and  firemen, 
giving    them  to  understand  that   violence  will  not  be 


THE    USAGES    OF    OTHER    ROADS.  2}  I 

tolerated.  And  that,  if  the  strike  shall  prove  harmful 
to  commerce,  and  shall  invite  loss  of  life,  Chief  Arthur 
and  his  co-adjutors  shall  be  held  to  a  strict  accounta- 
bility. But  while  they  gave  so  much  space  to  con- 
demn and  advise  the  enginemen,  no  word  was  spoken 
against  the  usurpation  of  state  and  municipal  authority 
by  the  Burlington  officials,  with  their  deputy  sheriffs 
and  armed  force  of  Pinkertons  and  scabs, — the  direct 
cause  of  the  Brookfield  tragedy,  given  in  the  succeed- 
ing chapter;  which  touched  the  hearts  of  all  fair 
minded  people. 


6 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

THE    MURDER    OF    GEORGE    WATTS. 

George  Watts,  one  of  the  striking-  men,  was  the 
first  engineer  who  fell  directly  by  a  murderous  hand. 
There  were  too  many  irresponsible  men  suddenly 
raised  to  positions  of  influence,  to  little  pinnacles  of 
petty  power,  to  make  life  safe  about  the  depots  and 
roundhouses.  Accordingly  the  instructions  from 
headquarters  were,  always  to  keep  away  from  crowds, 
and  from  all  assemblies  of  idle  men.  The  words  of 
Grand  Chief  Arthur  were  well  remembered:  "If  we 
cannot  win  honorably  let  us  submit  to  defeat."  If 
violent  partisans  in  a  contest  are  clothed  with  the 
authority  of  policemen  or  deputy  sheriffs,  the  public 
danger  is  not  abated  but  increased.  There  are  men 
who  love  the  distinction  of  striking  a  fatal  blow  when 
they  have  a  shadow  of  authority  to  hide  behind. 
When  such  men,  becoming  murderers,  are  protected 
from  punishment  by  citizens,  or  shielded  by  the  courts, 
there  is  great  cause  for  alarm  as  to  the  safety  of  both 
property  and  life.  On  the  morning  of  Saturday,  March 
3,  1SS8,  just  before  daylight,  the  passenger  train  from 
Quincv,  111.,  pulled  in  to  the  depot  at  Brookfield,  Mo. 
Granger  was  the  name  of  the  engineer  and  he  was  atr 
tended  by  a  deputy  sheriff  named' George  H.  Bostick, 
who  had  been  sworn  in  as  stated  in  last  chapter.  George 
Watts  was  at  the  depot  at  that  early  hour  to  take  the 
train  for  St.  Joseph,  where    his  mother  resided.       It 


THE    MURDER   OF   GEORGE    WATTS.  233 

was  the  custom  with  the  striking  engineers  every- 
where, to  induce  other  engineers  on  the  same  system, 
to  join  them.  This  had  been  done  all  along  the  line, 
and  it  had  not  been  called  in  question  anywhere,  nor 
was  it  then.  Young  Watts  stepped  on  the  engine  as 
it  stopped  at  the  platform,  and  entered  into  conversa- 
tion with  the  engineer.  While  he  was  thus  occupied, 
the  engine  was  uncoupled  and  driven  some  distance 
away  from  the  train  and  platform.  When  the  engine 
stopped,  young  Watts  was  driven  off  by  the  deputy 
sheriff,  Bostick,  and  he  started  at  once,  with  a  quick 
step,  back  towards  the  platform,  with  his  back  to  the 
engine  and  to  those  upon  it.  He  had  hardly  taken  a 
rapid  step  or  two  away,  till  Bostick  called  out  to  him 
to  throw  up  his  hands.  Evidently,  he  could  hardly 
believe  his  own  ears  that  such  words  were  uttered, 
but  without  stopping  his  walk  he  looked  around,  as  if 
to  see  the  cause  of  such  an  order,  and  with  his 
right  hand  up  he  reached  the  attitude  at  which  the 
fatal  shot  was  fired,  striking  him  in  the  right  temple. 
He  must  have  looked  along  the  deliberately  drawn 
pistol  barrel,  for  at  the  moment  of  looking,  the  brave 
deputy  fired,  the  ball  cutting  the  right  front  of  the  hat 
band  and  piercing  the  brain.  The  employes  present 
carried  the  bod}'  into  the  baggage  room. 

The  news  of  the  frightful  tragedy  spread  rapidly. 
The  chairman  of  the  engineers  and  firemen  at  that 
point,  went  at  once  to  the  scene  of  the  murder.  Im- 
mediate preparation  was  made  for  an  inquest,  and  for 
appropriate  expression  of  the  pent-up  feelings  of  all 
who  knew  the  facts. 

George  had  lived  in  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  from  his  youth 


234  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

up.  His  mother  was  a  widow,  and  from  his  boyhood, 
she  had  depended  on  George  for  her  living.  Nobly 
did  he  respond  to  her  faith  in  him.  From  the  time, 
when  a  little  boy  he  blacked  boots  at  the  depot,  he 
always  carried  his  earnings  to  his  mother.  He  did  the 
same  when  he  became  a  wiper  in  the  roundhouse  in 
St.  Joseph.  His  mother  was  not  his  treasurer,  but  he 
earned  money  only  for  her,  after  scantily  providing  for 
his  food  and  clothing.  x\t  an  early  age  he  became 
fireman  on  a  switch  engine,  then  he  was  the  attentive 
fireman  on  a  road  engine  with  the  writer  of  these  lines 
for  eighteen  months,  working  in  all  weather  and  in  all 
hours,  when  he  was  promoted  to  be  engineer  in  Nov- 
ember, 1885,  at  the  age  of  nineteen  years.  He  was 
a  cheerful,  hopeful,  happy  spirited  boy,  loved  most  by 
those  who  knew  him  best,  but  chiefly  by  his  mother, 
for  whom  he  lived,  and  in  whose  smile  he  was  the 
happiest. 

Why  should  a  murderous  weapon  be  turned  on  such 
a  boy?  No  one  who  knew  him  will  ever  believe  that 
any  word,  or  look,  or  thought  of  his,  warranted  vio- 
lence in  return.  There  are  in  the  world  great,  strong, 
brutal  men,  who  never  lift  a  hand  against  an  equal,  but 
who  will  whip  their  wives  and  beat  their  children ;  not 
for  any  ill-doing  of  the  helpless  ones,  nor  for  any 
counterfeit  manliness  of  their  own,  but  to  gratify  the 
devil  that  is  in  them.  And  this  they  try  to  do  in  a  way 
that  will  not  expose  them  to  the  deserved  punishment 
in  return.  They  trust  to  the  very  gentleness  which 
they  outrage  to  escape  prosecution.  Once  in  a  while 
such  a  man  discounts  his  manliness  enough  to  say  that 
the  woman  or  the  child  assaulted  him,  and  that  he  com- 


THE    MURDER    OE  "GEORGE    WATTS.  235 

mitted  a  homicide  in  self-defense! 

Messages  were  sent  in  various  directions,  and  among 
others,  one  to  a  friend  in  St.  Joseph,  to  go  to  the  house 
of  George  Watts'  mother  and  tell  her  the  terrible  news. 
The  resident,  striking  engineers  carried  the  body  of 
the  murdered  youth  to  the  city  hall,  where  a  coroner's 
jury  was  impaneled  to  investigate  the  cause  of  his  death. 
While  these  preparatory  steps  were  being  taken  the 
following  notice  was  printed  and  circulated  in  the  city: 

To  the  Public: 

"  The  unfortunate  shooting  of  George  Watts 
need  give  the  public  no  uneasiness,  as  far  as  the  engi- 
neers   are  concerned.     Vigilance,  not  violence,  is  our 

watchword." 

C.  H.  Salmons. 

Brookfield,  Marcn  3,  1888.  J.  H.  Snoddy. 

Committee. 

A  meeting  was  called  in  the  strikers'  hall  at  ten 
o'clock,  to  which  the  acting  mayor  of  the  city,  Hon. 
John  Ford,  was  invited.  He  evidently  expected  to 
hear  revengeful  expressions,  but  he  heard  nothing  but 
words  of  inexpressible  grief,  as  when  brothers  speak  of 
a  brother  untimely  stricken  down.  Of  the  hundred  or 
more  brothers  present,  there  were  no  threats  or 
thought  of  revenge.  Without  exception,  they  were  law 
abiding  men,  and  whether  wisely  or  not,  they  trusted 
that  the  law  of  impartial  justice  would  be  vindicated. 

A  newspaper  printed  at  Linneus,  the  county  seat, 
to  which  the  slayer  of  George  had  been  taken,  printed 
the  following  under  date  of  March  3 : 

"The  sheriff  brought  George  H.  Bostictc,  who  shot 


236  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

George  Watts  at  Brookfield,  to  this  place  for  safe 
keeping.  A  force  of  forty  armed  deputies  has  been 
sent  from  here  to  Brookheld  to  assist  in  preserving 
peace.  The  excitement  there  is  high,  and  lynch  law 
is  talked  of.  The  strikers  and  sympathizers  are  de- 
termined, and  they  feel  outraged  at  this  useless 
attack." 

No  grosser  injustice  was  ever  done  the  good  name 
of  the  city  and  the  people  who  compose  it,  including 
the  strikers.  That  they  felt  the  shooting  to  be  an  out- 
rage, there  is  no  question,  but  that  'lynch  law  was 
thought  of,  is  a  positive  untruth,  and  none  knew  it 
better  than  the  mayor  of  the  city.  This  piece  of  news 
was  widely  circulated,  and  it  cast  such  an  unjust  re- 
flection on  the  city  that  the  mayor  was  urgently 
requested  to  deny  it  officially.  This  he  wrould  not, 
and  did  not  do.  So  potent  is  the  interest  of  a  great 
corporation  to  retard  justice  !  So  readily  does  the 
highest  municipal  office  lower  its  dignity,  and  offend 
its  own  law  abiding  citizens  rather  than  risk  offending 
a  great  railroad  corporation  ! 

When  the  coroner's  jury  assembled  at  the  citv  hall, 
the  railroad  superintendent  and  the  company's  attorney 
met  with  them.  The  strikers,  not  seeing  the  necessity 
of  this,  then  secured  also  a  legal  advisor.  Immedi- 
ately strenuous  objections  were  made  to  the  presence 
of  lawyers.  A  member  of  the  jury,  instead  of  limiting 
himself  to  finding  the  cause  of  death,  and  instead  of 
listening  to  the  evidence,  argued  the  case  as  if  he 
was  Leviticus  himself.  The  verdict  of  the  jury  accord- 
ed with  the  facts  and  requested  the  holding  of  George 
H.  Bostick  to  the  grand  jury. 


THE    MURDER    OF    GEORGE    WATTS.  237 

Preparations  were  then  made  bv  the  strikers  for  the 
last  act  of  good  will  and  brotherly  love  for  their  unfor- 
tunate comrade,  George  Watts.  Superintendent  S.  E. 
Crance  evidently  felt  the  shooting  to  be  a  most  unfor- 
tunate occurrence.  He  was  kind  and  cordial  in  his 
offers  of  service.  He  tendered  the  free  use  of  a  coach 
for  the  bearers,  including  the  relatives,  to  attend  the 
funeral  at  St.  Joseph.  He  also  asked  for  and  paid  the 
undertaker's  bill  of  upwards  of  $40.  Mr.  Crance  had 
always,  and  deservedly,  stood  well  with  the  men.  On 
Sunday,  March -4,  the  friends  and  the  members  of  di- 
vision 79,  of  Brookrield,  joined  bv  members  of  division 
107  and  lodge  43  of  St.  Joseph,  buried  their  friend  and 
brother  with  affecting  ceremonies.  About  one  hun- 
dred engineers  and  firemen  were  in  line,  in  regalia,  led 
by  Pryor's  military  band.  The  Ladies'  Auxiliary 
Society  attended  in  open  carriages,  presenting  many 
beautiful  floral  emblems.  A  fine  burial  lot  was  pre- 
sented to  the  family.  The  entire  community  was  pro- 
foundly moved. 

At  the  preliminary  trial  of  Deputy  Sheriff  Bostick, 
before  the  justice,  he  testified  in  part: 

"  I  told  him  to  put  up  his  hands.  He  raised  his  right 
hand  a  little  way,  not  higher  than  his  shoulder,  with 
his  fingers  partly  shut,  with  'his  other  hand  in  his  over- 
coat pocket.  I  says,  'Put  up  the  other  one;'  told  him 
to  do  it  twice.  He  still  had  his  back  on  me.  Just  then 
I  heard  a  noise  to  my  left  and  back  of  me;  turned  my 
eyes  that  way;  seen  a  man;  heard  a  click  to  the  south 
of  me  and  back  of  me;  turned  my  face  a  little  bit  that 
way;  seen  a  man  with  a  pistol  in  his  hand,  not  more  than 
eight  or  ten  feet  away  from  me.     Just  at  that  instant 


238  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

I  felt  somebody  catch  me  by  the  right  hand,  which  was 
down  about  my  waist.  Jerked  it  upward;  as  it  went 
up  the  pistol  went  off.  He  (Watts)  hung  by  my 
waist  a  second  or  two  and  then  fell  with  his  head  to- 
ward the  north,  with  his  feet  outside  the  rail, 
and  towards  the  rail.  As  soon  as  I  could  see — for 
the  flash  blinded  me  a  second — I  looked  for  the  man 
on  the  right  of  me  and  behind  me.  They  were  both 
running  toward  some  box  cars  in  a  south-westerly 
direction.  I  stood  for  half  a  minute,  then  I  starts  and 
walks  south  in  the  shadow  of  some  cars.  Dewitt  Boyd 
came  to  me;  I  gave  myself  up  to  him.  We  started 
towards  the  roundhouse,  but  I  wanted  him  to  take  my 
pistol.  He  said  he  would  rather  not,  or  something  to 
that  way.  We  had  not  gone  far  when  we  met  Bee- 
ler.  (Mr.  Beeler  is  chief  train  dispatcher.)  He  says 
who  is  this,  or  something  that  way.  I  says,  is  this 
you,  Beeler  ?  He  says  yes.  I  says,  there,  take  my 
pistol.  I  guess  I  have  killed  one  of  those  little  engi- 
neers. He  says  how  ?  I  says,  I  was  crowded,  and 
had  to  do  it  in  self-defense.  He  takes  my  pistol,  and 
Bovd  and  I  goes  to  the  roundhouse.  Boyd  did  not  go 
all  the  way  to  the  roundhouse  with  me.  He  told  me 
to  go  and  get  on  one  of  those  engines, — No.  51,  I  be- 
lieve. He  goes  back  some  place,  and  gets  the  sheriff 
and  brings  him  up,  and  turns  me  over  to  him.  I  be- 
lieve that  is  all,  except  what  has  been  told.  Here  are 
the  marks  on  my  wrist  where  he  caught  me,  (showing 
some  scratches  on  his  right  wrist  where  the  head  of 
the  radius  makes  a  protuberance.) 

(Signed)  George  H.  Bostick. 
The  reader  will  notice  that  he  claims  to  Mr.    Beeler 


THE  MURDER  OF  GEORGE   WATTS.  239 

that  he  did  the  shooting  in  self  defense;  when  he  had 
before  described  it  as  an  accident.  But  it  is  not  our 
business  to  try  this  case,  but  to  show  what  was  done  to 
prevent  the  trial,  and  evidently  done  to  prevent  the 
conviction.  The  evidence  above  quoted  was  presented 
to  the  grand  jury,  and  an  indictment  was  found  for 
murder  in  the  first  degree.  Judge  Burgess  be- 
ing called  away,  had  assigned  an  ex-judge  to  the 
bench  in  his  absence,  a  man  who  was  at  this 
time  attorney  for  the  railroad  company,  and  for 
the  accused  as  well  as  being  his  bondsman,  vet  the 
verdict  of  the  grand  jury  indicting  his  client  was 
presented  to  him,  or  rather  he  accepted  a  position 
where  he  knew  he  must  receive  that  verdict,  as 
a  judge,  and  decide  the  question  as  to  admitting 
to  bail,  and  then  fix  the  amount.  We  do  not  cite 
this  to  cast  any  reflections,  yet  to  the  average 
person  not  familiar  with  the  ways  of  the  world,  these 
evasions  of  trial  predict  acquittal  of  the  prisoner,  if  not 
actual  discharge;  unwhipt  of  justice.  The  idea  that 
men  have  of  a  judge  is  taken  from  the  idea  of  impartial- 
ity and  rectitude  of  the  Supreme  Being,  who  is  just, 
and  true,  and  righteous  altogether.  For  a  thousand 
years  it  has  been  the  custom  of  courts,  where  the 
judge  is  at  all  a  party  or  partisan,  that  he  shall  come 
down  from  the  bench,  and  wash  his  hands  of  all  de- 
cision for  himself  or  for  his  client.  It  would  seem 
hardly  possible  for  one  so  encumbered  to  follow  a  di- 
rect line  of  justice,  and  it  brings  to  mind  with  startling 
emphasis  the  "impartial"  conditions  demanded  of 
a  juror,  and  the  conditions  permissible  in  a  judge. 
The  bail  was  fixed  at»$3,ooo  for  appearance  at  court,  to 


24O  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

answer  tne  indictment.  The  prisoner,  out  on  bail, 
went  back  to  the  Hannibal  division  of  the  Burlington, 
and  took  his  place  as  an  employe  of  the  Burlington 
system.  The  case  was  docketed  for  a  special  term, 
then  put  off  to  the  December  term,  when  the  Burling- 
ton's legal  advisers  came  into  court  and  said  "  not 
ready."  The  case  was  then  continued  to  the  June 
term  of  1889,  at  the  company's  cost.  At  the  June 
term,  the  first  day  of  court,  the  case  was  called,  and  both 
sides  answered  "  ready."  The  judge  then  continued 
the  case  for  one  week  in  order  to  give  time  to  summon 
a  special  jury. 

When  the  trial  day  arrived  it  was  found  that  three 
of  the  most  important  witnesses  for  the  state 
were  absent.  Among  them  was  Granger,  the  scab 
engineer,  with  whom  George  Watts  was  talking  when 
driven  off  the  engine.  This  man  had  said  that  Watts 
conducted  himself  like  a  gentleman,  and  if  there  ever 
was  a  murder  committed  that  was  one.  Granger  had 
been  discharged  but  had  not  yet  left  Brookfield  at  the 
beginning  of  the  term  of  court,  but  at  trial  day  he  was 
gone.  It  is  said  he  was  given  transportation  to  Cali- 
fornia by  the  Burlington  company;  at  all  events  he 
was  missing  when  wanted,  as  were  the  other  two  who 
were  employed  by  the  company.  But  the  superintend- 
ent, road  master,  chief  train  dispatcher,  etc.,  of  the  Bur- 
lington were  on  hand  ready  for  the  trial.  This  neces- 
sitated the  state  calling  for  a  continuance  on  account 
of  absence  of  main  witnesses.  Then  the  trial  was  post- 
poned again  to  the  December  term,  1889.  If  the  man 
is  innocent  why  not  let  the  law  take  its  course,  and  free 
him  from  the  stain  of  murder  ?     If  he  is  guilty,  why 


y, 

> 


v. 

c 


- 

> 


THE  MURDER  OF  GEORGE  WATTS.  24 1 

does  the  Burlington  Company  resort  to  every  means 
to  defeat  justice  ?  If  the  Burlington  Company  does 
not  assume  the  responsibility  for  the  act  of  this  man, 
what  is  the  incentive  for  his  defense  by  them  r 

The  great  philanthropist,  John  Howard,  said  that  it 
was  his  own  personal  experience  and  observation  that 
kindled  his  compassion  for  those  of  his  fellow  men 
who  had  no  one  to  stand  between  them  and  the  arbi- 
trary will  of  unwatched  officials.  The  world  has  pro- 
duced no  duplicate  of  John  Howard  in  the  benevolent 
work  of  prison  reform;  yet  his  powerful  and  persistent 
talents  often  stood  appalled  at  the  evils  that  emanated 
from  the  courts  and  kings  of  the  old  world.  It  is  just 
as  necessary  that  both  court  and  king,  in  these  times, 
shall  have  on  them  the  restraints  of  responsibility  and 
of  public  opinion,  as  it  was  when  John  Howard,  unex- 
pectedly to  them,  turned  upon  them  the  light  of  noon- 
da  v. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

THE    RAILWAY    PROBLEM. 

When  the  power  of  wealth  takes  the  place  of  fidel- 
ity to  principle  it  is  an  unhappy  omen  for  the  majesty 
of  the  law,  and  the  rights  of  the  people.  In  the  year 
1874,  in  a  speech  in  the  lower  house  of  Congress,  in 
discussing  the  railway  problem,  the  lamented  Presi- 
dent James  A.  Garfield  said,  in  part: 

'•We  are  so  inyolyed  in  the  eyents  and  moyements 
of  society,  that  we  do  not  stop  to  realize  what  is  un- 
deniably true,  that,  during  the  last  forty  years,  all  mod- 
ern societies  haye  entered  upon  a  period  of  change, 
more  marked,  more  peryading,  more  radical,  than  any 
that  has  occurred  during  the  last  three  hundred  years. 
In  saying  this  I  do  not  forget  our  own  political  and 
military  history,  nor  the  French  Reyolution  of  1793. 
The  changes  now  taking  place  haye  been  wrought, 
and  are  being  wrought,  mainly,  almost  wholly,  by  a 
single  mechanical  contriyance,  the  steam  locomotive. 
Under  the  name  of  private  corporations,  organiza- 
tions have  grown  up,  not  for  the  perpetuation  of  a  great 
charity,  like  a  college  or  hospital;  not  to  enable  a  com- 
pany of  citizens  more  conveniently  to  carry  on  private 
industry;  but  a  class  of  corporations,  unknown  to  the 
early  law  writers,  has  arisen  and  to  them  have  been 
committed  the  great  power  of  the  railroad  and  the 
telegraph,  the  great  instruments  by  which  modern  com- 
munities live  and  have  their  beinof.     Since  the  dawn 


THE  RAILWAY  PROBLEM.  243 

of  history  the  great  thoroughfares  have  belonged  to 
the  people,'  have  been  known  as  the  King's  highways, 
or  the  public  highway,  and  have  been  open  to  the  free 
use  of  all  on  payment  of  a  small  uniform  tax  or  toll  to 
keep  them  in  repair.  But  now  the  most  perfect,  and 
bv  far  the  most  important  roads  known  to  mankind, 
are  owned  and  managed  as  private  property  bv  a  com- 
paratively small  number  of  private  citizens. 

'•In  all  its  uses  the  railroad  is  the  most  public  of  all 
our  roads,  and  in  all  the  objects  to  which  its  work  re- 
lates, the  railway  corporation,  is  as  public  as  any  or- 
ganization can  be.  But  in  the  start  it  was  labelled  a 
private  corporation,  and,  as  far  as  its  legal  status  is 
concerned,  it  is  now  grouped,  with  eleemosvnarv  insti- 
tutions and  private  charities,  and  enjoys  similar  im- 
munities and  exemptions.  It  remains  to  be  seen  how 
long  the  community  will  suffer  itself  to  be  the  victim 
of  an  abstract  definition." 

"It  will  be  readily  conceded  that  a  corporation  is 
strictly  and  really  private,  when  it  is  authorized  to 
carry  on  such  a  business  as  a  private  citizen  may  carry 
on.  But  when  the  state  has  delegated  to  a  corpor- 
ation the  sovereign  right  of  eminent  domain,  the  right 
to  take  from  the  private  citizen,  without  his  consent, 
a  portion  of  his  real  estate,  to  build  its  structures 
across  farms,  gardens  and  lawns,  into  and  through, 
over  or  under,  the  blocks,  squares,  streets,  churches, 
and  dwellings  of  incorporated  cities  and  towns,  across 
navigable  rivers,  and  over  and  along  public  highways, 
it  requires  a  stretch  of  the  common  imagination,  and 
much  refinement  and  subtility  of  the  law,  to  maintain 
the  old  fiction  that  such  an  organization  is  not  a  public 


244  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

corporation." 

"In  view  of  the  facts  already  set  forth,  the  question 
returns,  what  is  likely  to  be  the  effect  of  railways  and 
other  similar  combinations  upon  our  community  and 
our  political  institutions?  Is  it  true,  as  asserted  by  the 
British  writer,  that  the  state  must  soon  recapture  and 
control  the  railroads  or  be  captured  and  subjugated  by 
them?  Or  do  the  phenomena  we  are  witnessing  in- 
dicate the  general  breaking  up  of  the  social  and  polit- 
ical order  of  modern  nations  so  confidently  predicted 
by  a  class  of  philosophers  whose  opinions  have  hither- 
to made  but  little  impression  on  the  public  mind?  The 
analogv  between  the  industrial  conditions  of  society  at 
the  present  time  and  the  feudalism  of  the  middle  ages 
is  both  striking  and  instructive.  In  the  darkness  and 
chaos  of  that  period  the  feudal  system  was  the  first 
important  step  towards  the  organization  of  modern 
times.  Powerful  chiefs  and  barons  entrenched  them- 
selves in  castles,  and  in  return  for  submission  and  ser- 
vice gave  to  their  vassals  rude  protection  and  ruder 
laws.  But  as  the  feudal  chiefs  grew  in  power  and 
wealth  the}^  became  the  oppression  of  their  people, 
taxed  and  robbed  them  at  will,  and  finally  in  their  ar- 
rogance defied  the  kings  and  emperors  of  the  med- 
ieval states.  From  their  castles  planted  on  the  great 
thoroughfares,  they  practiced  the  most  capricious  ex- 
tortions on  commerce  and  travel,  and  thus  gave  to 
modern  language  the  phrase,  to  levy  black  mail. 

"The  consolidation  of  our  great  industrial  and  com- 
mercial companies,  the  power  they  wield  and  the  rela- 
tions the)'  sustain  to  the  state  and  to  the  industry  of 
the  people,  do  not  fall  far  short  of  Fourier's  definition 


-THE    RAILWAY    PROBLEM.  245 

of  commercial  or  industrial  feudalism.  The  modern 
barons,  more  powerful  than  their  military  prototypes, 
own  our  greatest  highways  and  levy  tribute  at  will  up- 
on all  our  vast  industries,  and  as  the  old  feudalism  was 
finally  controlled  and  subordinated  only  by  the  com- 
bined effort  of  the  kings  and  the  people  of  the  free 
cities  and  towns,  so  our  modern  feudalism  can  be  sub- 
ordinated to  the  public  good,  only  by  the  great  body 
of  the  people,  acting  through  the  goverment  by  wise 
and  just  laws. 

"I  shall  not  now  enter  upon  the  discussion  of  meth- 
ods by  which  this  grand  work  of  adjustment  may  be 
accomplished.  But  I  refuse  to  believe  that  the  genius 
and  energy  which  have  developed  these  tremendous 
forces,  will  fail  to  make  them  not  the  masters,  but  the 
faithful  servants  of  society."  '  Fourteen  years  have  been 
added  to  intensify  the  picture,  as  seen  by  the  mind  of 
one  of  our  greatest  thinkers,  and  who  shall  say  that 
the  evils  pictured  bv  him  have  been  mitigated?  The 
inter-state  commerce  law  has  done  something  for  com- 
merce, but  where  are  the  laws  to  mitigate  the  evils  of 
necessary  "submission  and  service?"  Who  have  under- 
taken to  amend  the  "rude  protection  and  ruder  laws"* 
for  their  servants?  And  has  not  state,  and  even  na- 
tional legislation,  at  least  in  a  great  measure,  been  sub- 
jugated to  the  aggressive  greed  of  private  corpora- 
tions ? 

1  Life  of  Garfield. 


17 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

ANTAGONISM. 

The  Burlington  people  were  beginning  to  under- 
stand that  none  of  the  old  men  worth  mentioning 
would  return  to  work,  instead  of  having  thirty-five  or 
forty  per  cent  stay  with  them.  Mr.  Stone,  realizing  the 
value  of  their  services,  made  an  effort  through  the 
local  officials  to  regain  them,  and  his  instructions 
were  complied  with,  as  thoroughly  as  it  was  possible. 
The  wives  of  one  class  of  emploves  were  sent  to  the 
wives  of  strikers  to  get  them  to  induce  their  husbands 
to  return  to  the  company,  but  the  wives  were  as  loyal 
as  their  husbands,  and  in  many  instances,  they  were 
the  very  power  that  held  them.  The  letter  is  as  fol- 
lows: 

Chicago,  February  28,  188S. 

*'  Dear  Sir : — The  time  is  not  far  off  when  our  men 
must  necessarily  decide  whether  they  wish  to  perma- 
nently sever  their  connection  with  the  company  or  not. 
We  have  purposely  proceeded  somewhat  slowly  in 
emploving  new  men  in  any  great  numbers,  in  order  to 
give  the  men  who  have  been  in  our  service,  time  for 
reflection;  but  a  considerable  number  of  men  from  the 
Reading  district  and  other  parts  of  the  east,  will  be 
here  within  a  day  or  two  and  will  go  to  work,  and 
any  new  men  employed,  who  are  competent,  and  of 
good  character,  will  not  be  discharged  in  order  that 
we  may  take  back  the  men  who  have  left  the  service. 


ANTAGONISM.  247 

We  are  extremely  anxious  that  such  of  our  old  men  as 
are  competent,  sober,  and  industrious,  should  come 
back  to  the  service.  We  know  perfectly  that  many 
of  them,  probably  a  majority,  have  entered  into  this 
strike  at  the  instigation  of  hot-heads  and  agitators,  and 
that  it  is  impossible  that  they  should  sincerely  and 
seriously  desire  to  leave  the  service  where  they  know, 
as  well  as  we  do,  that  they  have  always  been  well  paid 
and  well  treated." 

"  In  a  strike  of  this  kind,  and  in  the  excitement  of  the 
moment,  men  are  led  to  act  hastily,  and  with  a  vague 
impression  that  they  are  going  to  force  the  company  to 
yield  to  their  demands.  The  time  is  at  hand  therefore, 
if  it  lias  not  arrived  now,  when  a  great  deal  can  be  done 
by  personal  talk  to  induce  good  men  to  return  to  the 
service,  and  give  up  what  must  inevitably  be  a  con- 
test full  of  disaster  to  them  if  it  is  proceeded  in.  Many 
of  our  men  have  grown  up  in  the  service,  and  their 
homes  are  on  the  line  of  our  road;  their  property,  if 
thev  have  accumulated  any,  is  here  with  us,  and  our 
interests  are  identical.  Aside  from  the  interests  which 
the  company  has  as  a  matter  of  business  in  having 
these  men  returned  to  the  service  in  preference  to 
getting  new  men,  we  very  much  desire  to  save  the 
men  themselves  from  the  consequences  of  righting  this 
matter  to  the  end,  and  forcing  the  company  to  man 
the  road  with  new  hands." 

"We  realize  fully  the  situation ;  we  know  the  difficul- 
ty of  filling  the  places  of  good  men  who  know  the 
road,  and  we  know  the  losses  to  the  road  of  a  pro- 
longed conflict." 

"  All  this  has  been  fully  considered  and  is  taken  into 


248  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

account,  but  you  can  see,  and  any  man  who  will  stop 
to  think  can  see,  that  it  is  simply  impossible  for  the 
company  to  yield  to  the  demands  which  have  been 
made.  We  must,  as  a  matter  of  self  preservation, 
fight  it  out,  no  matter  at  what  expenditure  of  time  and 
money.  I  hope,  therefore,  that  you  and  others  hold- 
ing positions  in  the  service  which  enable  them  to  do 
so,  will  use  the  utmost  exertion  to  convince  our  men 
by  personal  persuasion,  by  pointing  out  to  them  the 
inevitable  consequences  of  a  continued  contest,  to  in- 
duce the  men  to  come  back  into  the  service,  satisfied 
to  let  the  company  and  its  officers  manage  their  own 
property.  It  is  obvious  that  men  who  are  receiving 
$4  and  $5  a  day  cannot  expect  public  sympathy  in  anv 
demand  for  more,  which  is  carried  to  the  extent  of  a 
strike." 

"This  contest  can  have  but  one  end,  and  that  end  is 
just  as  easy  to  see  now  as  it  will  be  perhaps  when  it 
will  be  too  late  to  do  the  old  men  any  good.  I  hope 
you  will  do  every  thing  in  3-our  power  to  make  them 
appreciate  the  Situation  by  talking  to  them  singlv.  and 
impressing  on  their  minds  the  truth  of  what  I  have 
said  above."  '  (Signed)    Henry  B.  Stone. 

Mr.  Stone  says:  "Many,  probably  a  majority  of  the 
old  men,  have  entered  into  this  strike  at  the  instigation 
of  hot-heads."  It  would  hardly  seem  probable  that  a 
few  hot-heads  could  hold,  against  their  will,  nearly 
every  man,  not  only  for  a  day  but  for  months.  From 
mv  own  knowledge,  the  men  who  did  go  back,  were 
the  "  hot-heads,  "  in  nearly  every  case.  The  men  who 
were  most  ready  with  vituperation  at  the  beginning  of 
the  strike,  were  the  hardest  to  keep  in  a  line  of  gentle- 

'  Chicago  Daily  News,  March  i.  18S8. 


ANTAGONISM.  249 

manlv  deportment  after  the  strike  was  fairly  on;  were 
first  sought  after  by  the  Burlington,  and  first  to  secure 
a  place.  They  remind  me  that  in  the  war  for  the 
Union,  a  pugilist  would  always  hunt  a  safe  place  out 
of  range  of  danger.  It  was  the  every  day  thinking 
man.  in  office  and  out,  who  held  all  in  line.  But  Mr. 
Stone  said  they  were  "  holding  off  to  give  the  old  men 
a  chance  to  come  back,  but  that  a  considerable  num- 
ber of  men  were  coming  from  the  Reading  district  and 
other  parts  of  the  east."  Let  us  see  if  we  can  ana- 
lyze the  nature  of  this  demonstration  from  the  east,  of 
which  Mr.  Stone  speaks.  How  did  he  know  so  soon 
that  these  men  were  coming  ? 

Who  were  all  these  men  who  so  readily  loaned 
themselves  to  the  Burlington  company?  Where  did 
they  come  from,  and  what  was  the  incentive?  What 
was  their  character?  "More  men  went  in  and  out  of 
the  offices  of  the  company,  at  Chicago  in  one  day,  at 
the  beginning  of  the  strike,  than  probably  any  time 
since  they  were  built.  The  great  majority  of  them 
claimed  to  be  engineers  or  firemen.  They  had  heard 
the  rumbling  and  threatening  of  war;  it  had  come;  so 
had  they.  The  passage  way  leading  to  the  general 
superintendent's  office  was  crowded  from  early  morn- 
ing until  sunset.  In  answer  to  questions  put  to  a  num- 
ber of  these  applicants  they  all  represented  that  they 
had  more  or  less  of  experience  as  either  engineers  or 
firemen.  Some  appeared  to  be  quite  intelligent,  while 
others  were  either  reticent  or  ignorant.  A  few 
among  them  belonged  to  the  Knights  of  Labor,  but 
none  of  them,  as  far  as  could  be  ascertained,  belonged 
to  the  Brotherhoods.     One  of  the    Knights    said,    'I 


25O  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKn.. 

went  out  with  the  southwestern  strike  of  engineers. 
One  of  the  Brothers  took  my  place.  I  have  not  been 
able  to  get  any  work  since  and  I  am  trying  now  to  get 
a  Brother's  place.  When  a  man  has  been  slapped  on 
the  face  it  is  not  unreasonable  that  he  should  return 
the  blow."1  There  had  been  no  strike  of  engineers  in 
the  southwest.  The  stories  that  the  motley  multitude 
told  were  stereotyped.  The  men  who  were  hired  or 
bought,  or  appealed  to  by  the  strikers,  all  told  very 
much  the  same  story,  and  there  was  one  feature  that 
strongly  marked  almost  every  narrative,  the  story  had 
stamped  on  the  face  of  it,  "lie."  I  do  not  say  they  all 
did  this :  many  of  them  came  to  the  Burlington  appar- 
entlv  indifferent  as  to  anyone's  opinion  of  their  con- 
duct, and  had  no  need  to  lie  to  preserve  their  reputa- 
tion. Some  of  this  kind  had  been  in  the  business  of 
scab  before.  "Most  of  these  applicants  were  respect- 
ablv  dressed,  although  here  and  there,  the  marks  of 
having  been  out  of  work  were  plainly  visible ;  there 
were  nearly  200  of  them."  ' 

The  examination  as  to  their  fitness  was  entrusted  to 
G.  W.  Rhodes,  superintendent  of  motive  power,  and 
Mr.  ].  V.  Murray,  traveling  engineer  on  the  Chicago 
division  of  the  road.  These  officers  were  occupied 
the  whole  day,  and,  at  the  conclusion  of  their  labors, 
the  following  men  were  among  the  thirty  who  had 
been  selected  after  they  had  satisfied  their  interrogators 
as  to  their  competency:  Engineers,  Charles  Riggs, 
H.  Botham.  M.  Jenks,  H.  C.  Cass,  Geo.  Graham. 
"Doc"'  Merriam.  Firemen:  Martin  Lane.  Chas.  A. 
Phurow,  Robert  Hoey,  O.  D.  Skiff,  W.  D.  Smith. 
Louis    Eott,    A.    G.    Patten,    W.    McDennot,    Albert 

1  Chicago  Tribune.  Feb.  2S,  1888. 


ANTAGONISM.  2>\ 

Fitch,  H.  C.  Lefont,  John  Hogan."  The  last  named 
engineer,  "Doc"  Merriam,  is  known  by  hundreds  of 
railroad  men.  He  was  discharged  from  the  Burling- 
ton as  a  worthless  drunkard,  and  washed  spittoons  in 
Aurora  to  get  drinks.  The  traveling  engineer,  J.  V. 
Murray,  who  assisted  in  the  examination  of  these  men, 
was  a  member,  (at  that  time)  of  Division  127,  of 
Brotherhood  of  Locomotive  Engineers,  Beardstown, 
111.,  and  for  the  sake  of  a  place  entered  into  this  work 
for  the  company  with  great  zest,  and  he  was  expelled 
by  his  divison  for  violation  of  obligation. 

From  all  the  reports  circulated  about  the  Reading 
railroad  men,  and  others  from  Pennsylvania,  it  would 
look  as  though  hajf  of  the  population  of  that  state 
were  engineers  and  firemen,  and  all  out  of  work,  and 
had  a  personal  grudge  against  the  Burlington  engi- 
neers and  firemen.  The  onlv  instance  within  our 
knowledge  of  official  interference,  is  in  the  following  : 

"Reading,  Penn.,  Feb.  26, 1888.  Capt.  Geo.  L.  East- 
man, national  organizer  of  the  Knights  of  Labor,  is  au- 
thority for  the  statement  that  the  executive  committee 
of  the  Reading  railroad  strikers  have  notified  General 
Manager  Stone,  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincv, 
that  in  the  event  of  a  strike  on  his  road,  and  a  failure  of 
Chief  Arthur  to  withdraw  the  Brotherhood  engineers 
who  took  their  places  on  the  Reading  road,  they  will 
send  him  three  hundred  engineers  tomorrow  morning."2 

■It  will  be  remembered  that  a  strike  of  the  Knights 
of  Labor  occurred  on  December  24,  1887.  The 
Reading  engineers  being  members  of  the  Knights  of 
Labor,  were  ordered  out,  to  assist  in  coercing 
the    Reading    company.       It    is    a  known  fact     that 

1  Chicago  Tribune,  Feb.  28,  1S8S'  2  Associated  Press  Report,  Feb.  27,  i-v<3. 


2  52  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

the  miners  and  coal  handlers  of  that  company,  which 
controls  the  greater  part  of  the  coal  fields  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, are,  and  have  been  for  years,  steadily  ground 
down  until  the  condition  has  become  un-American 
and  indecent.  It  could  only  exist  under  such  a  com- 
bination as  the  Reading  railroad  made  with  the  coal 
and  iron  interest.  A  committee  of  Congress  investi- 
gated this  matter  in  1887  and  1888,  and  showed  up 
the  manner  in  which  the  mine  owner,  the  railroad 
officials,  the  Pinkerton  coal  and  iron  police,  and  the 
officials  of  the  commonwealth,  combined  to  defraud 
labor  of  its  just  reward,  to  force  the  public  to  bin'  coal 
at  a  factitious  price,  and  to  gamble  away  the  rights  of 
the  people. 

Harper's  Weekly  of  June  16,  1888,  in  describing 
the  coal  mines  of  Pennsylvania,  has  this  to  sav  of  the 
wages  and  life  of  miners : 

"  Wages  are  very  low  in  the  coal  regions.  Labor- 
ers receive  from  sixty  to  eighty  cents  a  day.  Year  in 
and  year  out,  for  the  last  ten  years,  during  which  time 
the  cheap  foreigners  have  been  coming  to  this  coun- 
try in  great  numbers,  the  average  daily  wages  for  a 
common  laborer  has  probablv  not  been  more  than 
seventy  cents  a  day.  With  the  stopping  of  work  very 
few  laborers  make  more  than  $12  a  month  the  year 
round,  and  a  third  of  this  must  go  as  rent  for  the 
shanty.  Eight  dollars  a  month  is  very  little  in  the  ex- 
pensive coal  regions  for  food,  clothes  and  medicine." 

"There  is  many  a  miner  who  goes  without  dinner 
day  after  day,  and  who  tightens  his  belt  when  noon 
comes." 

"A  piece  of  fresh  meat  is  a  luxury  for  holidays,  and 


ANTAGONISM.  253 

two  orthree  cold  potatoes  are  the  usual  contents  of 
the  dinner  pail.  There  is  no  allowance  made  by  the 
employers  for  accident  or  illness.  When  the  doctor  is 
needed,  each  visit  must  be  paid  for  when  it  is  made. 
When  the  rent  day  comes,  the  rent  is  taken  from  the 
month's  earnings,  and  if  the  head  of  the  family  can 
work  no  more,  the  family  is  turned  out  with  all  the  bit- 

J 

ter  cruelty  of  business."' 

Wholesale  evictions  take  place  in  Pennsylvania,  as 

in  Ireland,  and  scenes  of  brutal  indifference  to  human 
suffering,  may  be  seen  in  the  one  country,  as  in  the 
other." 

It  is  not  surprising  that  those  men  were  aggravated 
to  think  that  any  other  class  of  labor  should  refuse  to 
assist  in  bettering  these  conditions,  instead  of,  ( as 
they  claim,  i  tilling  the  vacated  places,  and  thereby 
breaking  down  the  only  power  they  possessed  to 
make  the  conditions  better.  Yet  it  is  not  reason- 
able to  charge  any  labor  organization,  as  such,  with 
the  responsibility  of  the  acts  of  individuals  beyond 
their  control.  Thev  might  be  members,  and  be  com- 
manded as  P.  M.  Arthur  commanded  in  1886:  "Keep 
your  hands  off!  Do  nothing  which  belongs  to  another 
to  do, — in  fact,  mind  your  own  business!"  It  was 
the  position  occupied  by  the  Brotherhood  of  engineers 
in  1886,  and  it  was  all  they  asked  at  the  beginning  of 
the  strike  in  1888.  They  did  not  ask  any  help  from 
any  other  Orders.  The  engineers  and  firemen  were 
willing  to  go  it  alone,  and  only  asked,  hands  off. 

The  conductors  and  brakemen  were  told  to  keep  at 
work,  but  to  not  do  anything  that  did  not  belong  to 
them  to  do.     Was  that  not  consistent  with  the  position 


254  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

they  took  as  an  institution  in  the  southwestern  striker 
That  individuals  violated  this  principle  of  non-inter- 
ference, there  was  never  a  better  illustration  than  in 
the  Burlington  strike.  Messrs.  Arthur  and  Sargent 
both  deny  that  they  had  any  knowledge  of  members  of 
their  respective  Orders  taking  the  Knight's  places. 
That  there  was  much  feeling  against  the  engineers, 
there  can  be  no  question,  and  it  evidently  emanated 
from  the  isolated  position  they  have  always  occupied 
of  "no  amalgamation."  The}'  have  been  patted  on 
the  back  from  year  to  year,  for  occupying  this  posi- 
tion, by  the  leading  representatives  of  capital.  In  fact, 
capital  usually  has  one  class  of  labor  to  use  as  a  club 
to  break  down  the  power  of  some  other  organization 
whose  members  are  trying  to  better  their  condition. 
It  appeared  to  be  the  Knight's  turn  to  have  their  backs 
patted.  The  Burlington  had,  in  1886,  ordered  the 
Knights  of  Labor  off  their  premises,  but  in  18S8  they 
were  gladly  welcomed  and  many  came,  but  not  with 
the  sanction  of  the  Knights  of  Labor  as  an  institution, 
as  the  following  chapter  will  show. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

ATTITUDE    OF  THE    KNIGHTS  OF  LABOR. 

Richard  Griffiths,  the  grand  worthy  foreman  of  the 
Order  said :  "  There  is  absolutely  no  foundation  in  the 
report  that  our  Order  will  interfere  with  the  striking- 
Brotherhood,  nor  will  any  attempt  be  made  bv  the 
Order  to  supply  the  Burlington  people  with  engineers 
to  enable  them  to  defeat  these  men.  The  best  of 
feeling  exists  between  Mr.  Powderlv  and  Chief  Ar- 
thur, and  the  Order,  as  an  Order,  has  no  grievance 
whatever  against  the  Brotherhood.  Of  course,  there 
may  be  individual  cases  where  men  have  griefs.  If 
they  go  to  the  Burlington  road  and  apply  for  work, 
they  will  do  so  as  individuals,  and  not  otherwise."  "It 
is  true."  said  Mr.  Griffiths,  "  that  in  the  strike  of  the 
Missouri  Pacific,  Chief  Arthur  asked  his  men  to  leave 
our  Order,  but  that  did  not  create  any  bad  feeling. 
You  may  state  authoritatively  that,  not  only  will  the 
Knights  of  Labor  Order  not  assist  the  Burlington 
road,  but  that  its  sympathies  are  with  the  Brother- 
hood first  and  last." ' 

"  T.  B.  Barnr,  a  member  of  the  general  executive 
board  of  the  Knights  of  Labor  said:  "  I  don't  think 
any  of  the  engineers  from  the  east,  now  en  route  to 
Chicago,  are  members  of  the  Knights  of  Labor.  Our 
Order  will  not  send  any  men  to  take  positions  there, 
or  advise  them  to  go,  but  there  is  such  an  intense 
feeling    against    the    Brotherhood    of   engineers,  that 

1  Chicago  Tribune.  Feb.  29,  1888. 


256  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

some    of    our    engineers    cannot    be    restrained    from 
going."  ' 

The  following  was  adopted  at  Chicago  on  Feb. 
ary  28 :  "  To  the  members  of  the  D.  A.  24,  Knights  of 
Labor;  Greeting:  During  the  last  twenty-four  hours 
the  public  press  has  been  lumbered  down  with  reports 
of  the  strike  of  the  Brotherhoods  of  engineers  and  fire- 
men of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincv  railroad. 
In  connection  with  this,  many  rumors  have  been  set 
afloat,  that  this  monopoly  of  a  corporate  power  would 
be  aided  in  their  contest  against  their  company,  by 
members  of  the  Knights  of  Labor,  who  are  reported  as 
being  anxious  to  take  their  places,  actuated  by  feel- 
ings of  retaliation  for  bad  conduct  the  Brotherhood  is 
claimed  to  have  been  guilty  of  towards  our  Order 
during  similar  contests  in  the  past.  Without  going 
into  an  examination  as  to  whether  this  charge  against 
the  Brotherhood  is  false  or  true,  the  executive  board 
of  D.  A.  24,  Knights  of  Labor,  unqualifiedly  protests 
against  any  of  its  members  taking  the  places  of  these 
striking  workers." 

We  call  on  the  members  of  our  Order  everywhere, 
to  refuse  under  any  and  all  circumstances,  to  become 
the  tools  of  this  corporation  in  their  hour  of  trouble. 
If  the  members  of  the  Brotherhood  have  been  guiltv 
of  any  wrong  towards  our  Order,  this  wrong  cannot 
be  righted  by  committing  another.  By  the  exhibition 
on  our  part,  of  a  higher  and  nobler  manhood  in  the 
cause  of  struggling  labor,  we  may  prove  to  them  our 
worth  as  Knights,  thereby  sowing  the  seed  of  that 
higher  fraternity  that  should  exist  among  all  bodies  of 
organized  labor.     Let    no  Knight  fire  an  engine  or 

1  Chicago  Tribune,  Feb.  20,  i^S8. 


ATTITUDE  OF  THE  KNIGHTS  OF  LABOR.  257 

pull  a  throttle  on  the  C,  B.  &  Q. 

The  Executive  Board,  D.  A.  24,  Knights  of  Labor, 
George  Schilling,  Chairman, 
William  Turnbull,  Secretary. 

District  Assembly  79,  which  includes  the  state  of 
Minnesota,  issued  an  order  on  February  28,  advising 
against  interference :  "  To  the  Order  in  District  as- 
semblv  79,  Knights  of  Labor:  Greeting:  The  District 
Executive  Board  fully  endorse  the  sentiments  in  the 
manifesto  of  District  Assembly  24,  of  Chicago,  advis- 
ing all  knights  to  refrain  from  taking  the  places  of  the 
striking  engineers  and  firemen  on  the  Chicago,  Bur- 
lington &  Quincy  railroad.  By  taking  this  position, 
the  board  believes  that  it  will  show  to  those  who  seek 
to  sow  discord  between  the  different  labor  organiza- 
tions, that  we  are  above  the  low  spirit  of  revenge  that 
has  so  often  thwarted  the  efforts  of  organizations  in 
the  past.  While  the  Brotherhood,  may,  in  the  past, 
have  taken  a  stand  in  opposition  to  our  efforts,  yet  by 
retaliating  on  them  in  their  hour  of  trouble,  nothing 
will  be  gained,  and  the  antagonism  will  become  more 
bitter.  It  is  by  showing  our  manhood  under  such 
circumstances,  that  we  will  ultimately  bring  about  the 
complete  realization  of  our  object,  viz:  to  bring  to- 
gether in  one  organization,  and  bind  by  one  fraternal 
tie,  every  man  and  woman  who  toils  for  a  living."  ' 

On  the  29th  of  February,  twenty-five  men,  said  to 
have  been  Reading  engineers,  were  quartered  at  the 
Briggs  house,  Chicago.  One  of  them,  on  being  in- 
terrogated bv  a  reporter,  said:  "We  are  the  advance 
guard  of  a  small  army  of  engineers  who  will  fill  the 

1  Chicago  Tribune,  Feb.  29,  188S. 


258  THE    BURLINGTON"    STRIKE. 

places  of  the  Burlington  strikers.  We  were  not 
selected  by  any  agent  of  the  Burlington  road,  but  are 
some  of  the  men  who  were  made  the  victims  of  the 
Reading  strike.  I  am  not  empowered  to  speak  for 
the  others,  but  I  intend  to  go  to  work  to-morrow  morn- 
ing."1 

"  What  is  the  general  feeling  of  the  Knights  of 
Labor  throughout  the  east  in  relation  to  this  strike  ?  " 
They  desire  the  defeat  of  the  Brotherhood.  I  am 
not  here  as  a  Knight  of  Labor,  but  as  a  first-class 
mechanic,  out  of  work.  A  Brotherhood  man  is 
now  running  my  machine,  and  if  I  pass  examination 
to-morrow,  I  expect  to  return  the  compliment.  In  do- 
ing so  I  shall  not  consider  mvself  •  a  scab,'  but  shall 
hold  that  I  am  fulfilling;  my  duty  to  mvself  and  to  my 
family.  The  Brotherhood  started  this  light  and  must 
stand  the  responsibility."  •  When  asked  if  there  were 
more  from  the  Reading  road  who  felt  as  he  did,  he 
said:  "  You  bet  your  life,  there  are  !  The  Reading 
engineers  went  on  a  strike  in  company  with  forty- 
thousand  miners,  who  were  the  only  support  of  thou- 
sands of  families.  When  the  result  was  trembling  in 
the  balance,  the  Brotherhood  of  Locomotive  Engfi- 
neers    came    forward    and    rilled    our    plac<  They 

claim  that  it  was  done  as  individuals.  Perhaps  it  was. 
We  are  here  as  individuals.  You  have  not  heard  that 
the  Knights  of  Labor  have  declared  against  the  strik- 
ers, have  your  I  feel  sorry  for  the  striking  engineers 
of  the  Burlington  as  fellow  craftsmen,  but  I  have  no 
use  for  their  organization."  ' 

This  man  does  not  consider  himself  a  scab.     Some 
one,  he  claims,  has  done  him  an  injury  in  Pennsvlva- 

'  Associated  Press  dispatch. 


ATTITUDE  OF  THE  KNIGHTS  OF  LABOR.     259 

nia,  and  he  comes  to  Illinois  to  get  even  with  the  man 
in  Pennsylvania,  by  doing  what  he  acknowledges  was 
a  mean  thing  for  the  other  man  to  do.  While  he  is 
doing  this,  he  is  rilled  with  sympathy  for  the  men 
whom  he  comes — for  the  sake  of  vengeance — to  harm. 
"Two  wrongs  never  made  right,"  and  as  it  has  been 
said  before,  nearly  all  of  these  men  had  an  elaborate 
excuse  to  offer  for  coming.  When  a  man  says  he  comes 
filled  with  sympathy  for  his  intended  victims,  that  man 
should  join  the  socialists,  and  no  labor  organization 
should  be  held  accountable  for  his  acts.  If  he  had 
said  "  I  hold  I  am  fulfilling  my  duty  to  myself  and 
family,"  and  stopped  there,  he  would  not  have  exposed 
the  fact  that  he  came  to  the  Burlington  to  do  what  he 
condemned  as  an  outrage  on  the  Reading. 

General  Master  Workman  Powderly,  of  the  Knights 
of  Labor,  defines  very  forcibly  what  he  thinks  of 
such  a  man  as  the  above,  no  matter  what  he  belongs 
to.  He  said :  "  I  have  been  asked  what  my  opinion 
is  concerning  the  strike  of  the  engineers  on  the  Bur- 
lington system.  An  expression  of  opinion  is  request- 
ed as  to  whether  I  favor  Knights  of  Labor  taking  the 
places  of  Brotherhood  men.  I  do  not  know  the  par- 
ticulars of  the  strike  question,  but  if  true  men  are 
making  an  effort  to  do  away  with  the  European  cus- 
tom of  grading  men  up  and  down,  regardless  of  merit, 
they  are  right  for  making  a  light  for  equality.  My 
opinion  is,  that  the  man  who  takes  the  place  of  another 
struggling  for  his  rights,  deserves  the  contempt  and 
scorn  of  everv  man  who  loves  justice.  The  man  who 
takes  the  place  of  another  when  that  other  engages  in 
a  struggle  with  a  corporation,  is  a  "  scab,"  whether  he 

18 


260  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Labor,  or  the  Brother- 
hood of  Engineers.  Knights  of  Labor,  if  you  take 
my  advice,  3-011  will  stand  back  and  allow  this  strusrsrle 
to  go  on. 

Let  the  Brotherhood  demonstrate  its  power  to  stand 
alone,  'without  entangling  alliances  with  other  trades.' 
The  spectacle  presented  by  men  of  labor,  who  belong 
to  different  organizations,  rushing  at  each  others' 
throats  when  strikes  occur,  must  be  a  gratifying  spec- 
tacle for.  employers  of  labor.  Knights  of  Labor,  from 
Maine  to  California,  stand  back  !  Keep  hands  off! 
Let  the  law  of  retaliation  be  disregarded  and  let  the 
men  of  the  Burlington  road  run  this  strike  if  they 
can  !  Samuel  Gampers,  president  of  the  American 

Federation  of  labor  said:  "  The  Brotherhood  of  Loco- 
motive Engineers  is  an  excellent  organization,  although 
it  has  done  wrong  in  isolating  itself  on  labor  matters. 
In  the  present  strike,  the  Trades'  Unions  are  with 
them." 

1  Associated  Press  Report. 


CHAPTER   XXXIX. 

NEGOTIATIONS    FOR    HARMONY. 

For  all  these  strong  expressions  from  the  chief  men 
of  the  Knights  and  kindred  orders,  there  seemed  to  be 
a  concordant  movement  on  the  part  of  the  ex-Reading 
employes,  to  come  to  the  Burlington.  The  press  of 
the  country  took  it  up,  and  with  great  energy  magni- 
fied not  only  the  numbers,  but  the  presumed  grievan- 
ces of  the  Knights  against  the  Brotherhood  of  Engi- 
neers and  Brotherhood  of  Firemen.  They  quoted 
sayings  of  Grand  Chief  Arthur,  and  doings  of  individ- 
uals, in  order  to  help  to  widen  the  breach.  All  the 
antipathy  so  created  was  in  the  direct  interest 
of  monopoly.  All  the  vast  railroad  interests  were 
interested  in  making  this  the  wedge  to  divide  the 
power  of  organized  labor.  The  more  they  magnified 
the  picture  of  wrongs  done,  the  wider  the  breach,  and 
the  better  for  the  Burlington. 

It  is  evident  from  Mr.  Stone's  letter  in  a  preceding 
chapter,  that  he  had  been  notified  of  their  coming. 
When  they  began  to  arrive  they  were  met  by  the 
strikers'  committee.  Thev  were  reminded  that  they 
came  to  injure  men  who  had  in  no  way  injured  them, 
and  who  could  not  be  held  accountable  for  the  acts  of 
some  individuals  in  Pennsylvania.  A  few  were  found 
who  had  a  spark  of  manliness  left,  and  the  earnest  ap- 
peals of  the  committees  would  sometimes  help  them 
to  see  how  much   thev  were  violating  the  princi] 


262  THE  BURLINGTON"  STRIKE. 

that  should  actuate  one  laboring  man  towards  another. 
How  generous  and  considerate,  and  how  chivalric  do 
all  men  believe  a  knight,  a  true  knight  to  be.  If 
they  were  true  knights,  why  did  they  come  ? 

By  such  appeals  a  few  were  induced  to  agree  to  re- 
turn if  transportation  was  furnished,  and  many  did 
return,  or  at  least  went  elsewhere.  Many  of  them 
were  no  doubt  impostors.  But  such  things  cannot  be 
avoided  in  such  times.  When  excitement  is  at  boiling 
heat  the  scum  is  sure  to  come  to  the  surface.  The 
human  vultures,  like  the  other  kind,  are  always  ready 
to  take  whatever  falls  in  their  way,  whether  the  means 
to  be  used  are  false  or  fair.  The  strikers  had  expect- 
ed men  would  present  themselves  for  the  places  vacat- 
ed, in  some  numbers,  but  they  did  not  think  any 
members  of  labor  organizations  would  come,  and  it 
was  evident  something  must  be  done  to  check,  if  pos- 
sible, this  movement. 

At  this  time  there  appeared  upon  the  scene,  one 
who  claimed  to  be  the  leader  of  this  army  of  Reading 
men. 

"Joseph  Cahill,  secretary  of  the  executive  board 
of  the  Reading  employes,  brought  Chief  Arthur  and 
Grand  Master  Sargent  official  information  that  150 
members  of  their  Order  had  taken  the  places  of  the 
Knights  of  Labor  on  the  Reading  road." 

"  Both  Chief  Arthur  and  Mr.  Sargent  have  denied 
repeatedly  that  the}'  knew  that  these  men  had  taken 
the  places  of  the  Reading  striking  employes.  They 
assured  Mr.  Cahill  that  they  had  no  knowledge  other 
than  newspaper  reports  that  this  thing  had  occurred. 
Both  gentlemen  expressed  a  willingness   to  play   fair 


NEGOTIATIONS  FOR  HARMONY.  263 

with  the  knights,  and  an  agreement  was  entered  into 
by  which  Mr.  Arthur  and  Mr.  Sargent  agreed  to  re- 
quest their  men  to  quit  the  Reading  road's  employ- 
ment." 

"  In  return  for  this  Mr.  Cahill  agreed  to  keep  the 
150  to  200  Reading  engineers  and  firemen  in  the  city 
from  taking  places  on  the  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy  road.  These  men  will  be  held  here  twenty- 
four  hours.  If  the  Brotherhood  men  obey  the  request 
of  their  chiefs  and  quit  the  Reading  road  the  Knights 
of  Labor  men  here  will  return  to  Reading  and  other 
points  along  the  Reading  lines  whence  they  came. 
Mr.  Cahill  telegraphed  other  contingents  of  Reading 
nun  to  remain  where  the}-  were.  He  estimated  the 
number  of  engineers  out  of  employment  along  the 
Reading  lines  at  six  to  eight  hundred." 

"  Chief  Arthur,  about  five  o'clock,  on  the  evening 
of  February  2,  sent  the  following  telegram  to  Mr. 
Edward  Kent,  chairman  of  the  executive  board  of  the 
Brotherhood  of  Locomotive  Engineers  of  the  Philadel- 
phia &  Reading  railroad  company:" 

" '  Go  to  Philadelphia  and  use  all  your  influence  to 
have  the  members  of  the  Brotherhood  of  Locomotive 
Engineers  on  the  Phildelphia  &  Reading  road  who 
have  taken  the  places  of  the  men  who  went  out 
December  27,  1887,  to  leave  the  service  of  the  com- 
pany, furnishing  them  with  the  financial  support  of  the 
Brotherhood.  The  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy 
company  is  striving  to  use  Reading  strikers  to  defeat 
us  in  this  conflict.  We  must  use  all  honorable  means 
to  checkmate  it."' 

"  Mr.  Kent  was  at  Sparkhill,  Rockland  county,  N.  Y. 


264  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

He  at  once  telegraphed  Mr.  Arthur  that  he  would  go 
to  Philadelphia  immediately." 

"  Grand  Master  Sargent  sent  a  similar  dispatch  to 
Harry  Walton,  chairman  of  the  executive  board  of 
firemen  at  Philadelphia. 

Chicago,  March  3,  1888. 

Harry  Walton: 

"  See  all  members  of  the  Brotherhood  on  the 
Philadelphia  &  Reading  railroad  that  have  taken  the 
places  of  the  men  that  went  out  December  27,  1887, 
and  request  them  to  sever  their  connection  with  the 
company,  and  I  will  pay  them  untill  they  can  find  em- 
ployment elsewhere,  and  allow  the  men  now  out  to 
return  to  work.  By  doing  this,  the  ill-feeling  now 
existing  will  be  obliterated,  and  will  assist  us  to  win 
our  struggle  with  the  Burlington." 

(Signed)  F.  P.  Sargent. 

Mr.  Sargent  promised  the  men  support  until  they 
could  find  employment  elsewhere.  Mr.  Walton  re- 
sponded by  telegraph  that  he  would  at  once  issue  the 
necessary  orders.  Messrs.  Arthur  and  Sargent 
thought  these  men  would  obey  their  requests,  as  they 
both  thought  the  men  were  in  the  wrong  in  taking  the 
places  of  the  organized  workmen.  In  order  to  insure 
greater  success  in  this  movement  it  was  thought  best 
to  secure  the  services  of  some  one  who  belonged  to  the 
Knights  of  Labor  and  was  directly  interested  in  the 
strike  on  the  Burlington.  Mr.  J.  J.  Delanev,  who  was 
a  member  of  the  Brotherhood  of  Locomotive  Firemen 
and  also  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Labor,  was  se- 
cured, who  proceeded  to  Philadelphia  to  co-operate 
with  the  others. 


NEGOTIATION'S    FOR    HARMONY.  265 

It  is  said,  George  E.  Detwiler  of  Chicago,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Knights  of  Labor,  and  editor  of  a  labor 
paper,  rendered  valuable  assistance  in  this  effort  to 
dissuade  the  knights.  While  these  negotiations  were 
pending,  nearly  one  hundred  new  arrivals  reached  the 
city  of  Chicago,  and  were  quartered  at  the  Briggs 
house.  They  claimed  that  thev  were  all  Reading- 
men.  The  Brotherhood's  committees,  ever  watchful, 
were  on  hand,  and  "  knots  of  excited  men  gathered 
around  the  leaders  and  the  war  of  words  waged  thick 
and  fast.  The  Reading  men  openly  accused  Chief 
Arthur  of  causing  the  troubles  on  that  road,  but  de- 
spite all  the  gesticulating  and  loud  talk  many  were  in 
favor  of  a  settlement.  The  Brotherhood  delegates 
told  the  new-comers  of  the  settlement  between  Arthur 
and  Powderly.  '  We  won't  go  back  unless  we  are 
recalled  by  Corbin  himself,'  shouted  several  of  the 
Reading  men.  '  If  Chief  Arthur  calls  the  Brother- 
hood men  off  the  Reading  road  will  you  go  back  and 
fight  your  own  battles?'  A  few  said  thev  would. 
The  committees  were  aided  materially  by  two  Knights 
of  Labor  from  Reading,  said  to  represent  Mr.  Pow- 
derly. They  knew  the  men  and  placed  a  chalk  mark 
on  every  good  man."  "  A  number  of  the  Reading  men 
were  not  skilled  engineers.  A  large  percentage  of 
them  were  firemen,  and  a  great  number  were  incom- 
petent men  who  were  given  free  transportation  to 
Chicago.  The  Brotherhood's  committees  were  after 
the  competent  men  and  hired  about  half  of  the  entire 
number."  '  These  were  furnished  free  transportation, 
and  they  returned  to  Pennsylvania.  At  the  Brother- 
hood's headquarters  at  the  Grand  Pacific  hotel,   there 

1  Chicago  Evening  News. 


266 


THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 


was  a  scene  of  exciting  activity.  Men  were  there  of 
all  kinds,  nationalities  and  interests,  scores  of  them. 
The  deceived,  some  were  deceivers,  and  others  were 
repentant.  Said  one  of  these  men:  "I  came  here  on 
mv  own  responsibility.  I  do  not  belong  to  the  Broth- 
erhood, neither  am  I  a  Knight  of  Labor.  I  was  out  of 
.vork  and  came  from  Reading  here.  I  didn't  want  to 
go  farther  west  than  Chicago.  Thev  wanted  me  to 
go  to  Nebraska,  though  I  have  a  contract  for  work 
here.  Five  others  came  with  me  and  we  want  to  get 
transportation  back  home.  I  don't  like  the  looks  of 
the  situation." 

The  committee  sent  to  the  Reading  road  by  Messrs. 
Arthur  and  Sargent,  had  a  meeting  with  the  Reading 
strikers,  who  repudiated  Mr.  CahilPs  authority-  to  speak 
for  them,  and  insisted  upon  the  ordering  out  of  every 
Brotherhood  man  on  the  Reading  road.  This  meant 
another  strike  on  the  Reading,  which  the  grand  offi- 
cers of  the  two  Brotherhoods  had  no  power  to  effect. 
Their  constitutions  onlv  gave  them  power  to  sanction 
a  strike  when  the  men  had  voted  it.  The  Reading 
road  has  800  engines,  and  at  the  time  of  this  strike  it 
is  said  there  were  not  more  than  twenty  Brotherhood 
men  employed  on  that  road. 

Nearly  all  those  who  had  taken  the  places  of  the 
striking  knights,  were  not  members  of  any  organiza- 
tion. Many  of  them  were  said  to  be  the  dissipated 
refuse  of  other  railroads  and  of  the  Brotherhoods. 
Some  of  them  were  the  men  who  struck  against  Presi- 
dent Gowan's  order  to  withdraw  from  the  Brother- 
hood, or  from  the  service  of  that  company  in  1877. 
When  that  strike  came,  their  places  were  filled,   and 

1  Chicago  Evening  News. 


NEGOTAITIOXS    FOR    HARMONY.  267 

by  some  of  these  same  men  who  struck  in  1887  as 
Knights  of  Labor.  These  men,  many  of  whom  were 
still  in  Pennsylvania,  and  had  not  run  an  engine  since 
1877,  and  being  bound  by  no  labor  ties,  went  back 
to  the  Reading  company.  This  committee,  which  was 
sent  to  negotiate  peace  with  these  knights,  only  found 
eleven  engineers  and  seven  firemen  who  belonged  to 
these  Orders,  at  work  on  the  Reading  road.  It  must 
now  be  evident  to  the  reader  that  when  the  Reading 
men  claimed  that  the  Brotherhood  as  an  Order,  had 
rilled  their  places  in  1887,  they  were  entirely  mistaken. 
It  is  also  plain  that  they  used  this  pretext  for  an  excuse 
for  doing  what  thev  evidently  felt  was  as  mean  in 
themselves  to  do  as  it  had  been  in  those  who,  it  was 
said,  took  their  places.  Everything  was  done  by  the 
officers  of  the  Knights  of  Labor  to  prevent  any  mem- 
bers of  their  Order  coming  to  the  Burlington,  and 
they  should  in  no  way  be  held  responsible  for  the  acts 
of  these  men  as  individuals.  The  good  will  of  the 
Order  was  shown  on  ever}'  hand  and  in  the  west  they 
made  the  Burlington  feel  their  power  in  a  depleted 
business  and  encouraging  words  to  the  strikers. 


CHAPTER   XL. 

FEINT,    FOR    EFFECT. 

It  is  evident  that  the  Reading  men  were  grossly 
misrepresented.  Where  there  was  one  Knight  of 
Labor  who  did  come,  there  were  one  hundred  who 
claimed  to  be  Knights  who  never  had  seen  the  Read- 
ing  road.  The  officers  of  the  Burlington  road  were 
glad  to  call  everything  that  came  in  the  shape  of 
an  engineman,  "direct  from  Reading."  On  March  i, 
Master  Mechanic  J.  W.  Rhodes,  from  his  headquar- 
ters in  Chicago,  sent  out  the  following: 

"To  all  Master  Mechanics: 

We  have  a  large  number  of  engineers  just  from 
the  Reading  road;  can  furnish  you  any  number  of  en- 
gineers you  want.  Let  me  know  as  soon  as  possible 
how  many  you  want.'"  '  J.  W.  Rhodes. 

Here  is  another  sample : 

St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  March,  2  1888. 
A.  C.  Dawes.  Kansas  City. 

••I  have  a  message  from  Chicago  saying  that  re- 
ported arrangements  between  P.  M.  Arthur  and  the 
Knights  of  Labor  to  take  Brotherhood  men  off  the 
Reading  and  send  Reading  men  back,  have  no  effect 
whatever  upon  those  who  have  come  to  us  from  the 
Reading  road.  They  seem  to  be  more  anxious  to 
rind  out  how  the}'  can  get  their  families  west  than  to 
talk  about    going  back  to    Pennsylvania.     They  say 

1  Creston  (Iowa)  Advertiser. 


FEINT,    FOR    EFFECT.  269 

thev  will  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  Brotherhood  of 
Locomotive  Engineers  and  are  well  satisfied  with 
their  prospects.  One  hundred  and  fifty  odd  went  to 
Nebraska,  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  more  than  we 
expected  arrived  this  morning."  ' 

W.  F.  Merrill, 

General  Manager. 

Much  of  this  talk  was  no  doubt  intended  to  frighten 
the  strikers,  and  create  a  stampede  among  them.  The 
Burlington  officials  were  too  wise  not  to  want  the  old 
men  back  if  they  could  get  them  without  receding 
from  their  position.  The  notice  to  apply  on  or  before 
Wednesday  noon  of  February  29,  had  done  no  good;  if 
anything  it  had  increased  the  strikers'  determination  to 
fight  it  out;  thev  would  not  accept  their  salary,  and 
did  not  go  for  it  until  the  pay  car  come  out  at  its  reg- 
ular time.  The  great  news  dispenser  for  the  Burling- 
ton, during  the  strike,  was  Mr.  Paul  Morton,  general 
ticket  agent,  who  was  formerly  a  reporter  on  a  news- 
paper in  Nebraska.  Having  been  educated  in  the 
newspaper  business,  he  knew  how  to  work  the  ma- 
chine for  all  it  was  worth.  He  was  a  terse,  forcible  writ- 
er, and  was  always  ready  to  dish  up  news  in  any 
quantitv  to  whomsoever  might  come,  and  he  never 
forgot  the  coloring. 

"Mr.  Morton  said  250  competent  engineers  and  fire- 
men had  been  accepted  by  the  company,  and  had 
been  sent  out  to  man  engines  on  various  divisions  of 
the  road.  These  men  were  principally  ex-employes 
of  the  Reading,  whose  places  had  been  filled  with 
Brotherhood  men.  Mr.  Morton  said  that  several  oth- 
er large  bodies  of  competent  man  were  on  the  way  to 

1  Kansas  City  Journal,  March  .5,  1888. 


270 


THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 


Chicago  from  the  east,  and  he  read  dispatches  from 
several  points,  announcing  that  delegations  were  on 
the  way  to  Chicago.  He  said  that  the  company. would 
not  discharge  its  new  men  to  make  room  for  the  men 
who  had  quit  work  in  case  the  latter  wanted  to  come 
back.  "The  position"  said  he,  "on  this  question  is  ex- 
actly similar  to  that  of  Mr.  Corbin  in  regard  to  the 


Reading  strikers, 
which  is  fairly  illus- 
trated by  the  follow- 
ing extract  from  the 
proceedings  of  the 
Reading  investiga- 
ting committee  be- 
fore the  House  at 
Washington:  Mr. 
Corbin  said— 'If  there 
is  no  more  coal  mined 
from  the  Schuyl- 
kill until  we  are 
compelled  to  mine  it 
bv  discharging  men 
who  have  come  to  us 
in  our  trouble,  and 
stood  by  us,  to  make 
way  for  the  strikers, 
no  more  will  ever  be  mined  while  I  have  influence  to 
prevent  it.'  " 

"Do  you  mean  to  say,  and  go  on  record  as  saying, 
that  for  that  and  that  only,  you  will  not  take  them 
back." 

"Yes,  emphaticallv,  I  want  that  to    go    on  record. 


PAUL   MORTON    AND  THE    REPORTER. 


FEINT,    FOR    EFFECT.  27 1 

They  left  me,  and  I  gave  them  notice.  It  will  be  a 
pretty  cold  day  when  I  discharge  men  who  stood  by 
me  when  I  needed  help,  for  men  who  concerted  and 
attempted  to  ruin  me." 

1  lere  are  three  hundred  and  fifty  more  ex-Reading 
men,  all  within  twenty-four  hours  ! 

"Great  excitement  was  occasioned  at  the  Union  de- 
pot on  the  evening  of  March  i,  upon  the  departure  of 
the  5:35  p.  m.  train,  known  as  the  Denver  express. 
The  engine  of  this  train  was  manned  by  a  Reading 
engineer  and  fireman,  who  had  an  old  brakeman,  for 
a  pilot,  in  the  cab  with  them,  and  all  were  armed  with 
revolvers.  The  train  was  composed  of  a  mail  car. 
three  baggage  cars,  four  day  coaches,  two  chair  cars 
and  two  sleepers.  There  were  but  three  passengers 
in  the  chair  cars,  and  none  in  the  sleepers.  A  great 
crowd  had  collected  in  the  vicinity,  for  the  train  was 
unusually  long.  About  5 :30  Lieutenant  Fitzpatrick, 
with  a  detail  of  eight  men,  and  Lieutenant  Ross,  of 
the  Desplaines  street  station,  came  down  leading  a 
procession  of  over  200  men.  They  were  Reading 
engineers  and  firemen  who  had  come  to  help  out  the 
road  in  its  difficulty.  With  them  was  a  large  posse 
of  Pinkerton  men  under  the  command  of  Lieutenant 
Lane,  and  every  one  of  the  large  body  was  armed 
with  a  44  caliber  revolver,  readv  for  any  emergency 
which  might  arise  on  the  way  The  200  men  were 
placed  in  the  four  day  coaches,  each  in  charge  of  four 
Pinkerton  men.  The  crowds  thronged  about  the  en- 
gine in  the  depot,  but  four  stalwart  policemen  drove 
them  away  from  the  locomotive.  General  Manager 
Stone,  Superintendent  Howland,  and  Superintendent 


272  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

of  Motive  Power  Rhodes,  were  all  on  hand  to  see  the 
orowd,  and  even  Freddy  Gebhard  was  attracted  to  the 
spot  by  the  excitement.  He  was  especially  conspic- 
uous on  the  platform,  with  the  bunch  of  blue  violets  in 
the  left  lapel  of  his  coat,  and  his  exceedingly  small 
derby  hat  on  his  very  large  head,  until  somebody 
yelled,  "Get  onto  the  bloke!"  when  he  vanished. 
The  train  started  off  very  slowly,  and  there  was  a 
good  deal  of  feeling  shown  by  the  crowd  as  it  passed 
under  the  Van  Buren  street  viaduct,  but  no  person  at- 
tempted or  offered  to  do  any  violence."1  And  this  is 
not  all.  On  the  same  day  one  hundred  more  new  ar- 
rivals of  "fine  looking  fellows"  were  heralded,  far  and 
wid   . 

Air.  Morton  said:  "We  first  heard  from  the  Read- 
ing men  through  committees  appointed  by  them,  and 
that  they  were  ready  to  take  the  places  of  our  strik- 
ing engineers.  The  storv  that  they  were  misinformed 
and  supposed  they  were  to  work  on  new  lines,  is  un- 
true. Our  agents  were  instructed  to  inform  them 
just  what  they  were  coming  for."2  It  will  be  seen  by 
the  following  that  the  number  was  greatly  exaggerated. 

"One  hundred  more  of  the  Reading  engineers  and 
firemen  arrived  last  evening.  Of  these  fifty-eight 
came  on  from  the  East  over  the  Pennsylvania  lines 
and  arrived  at  6:45  o'clock,  and  the  remaining  forty- 
two  came  in  at  9:30.  This  body  of  men  is  by  far  the 
best  looking,  from  a  respectable  standpoint,  that  has 
yet  arrived.  There  were  no  guards  with  these  men, 
as  they  insisted  that  they  needed  none,  because  they 
were  able  to  take  care  of  themselves.  The  first  batch 
lingered  about  the  Union  Depot  for  a  half  hour,  and 

1  Chicago  Tribune.        2  Chicago  News,  March  2,  18S8. 


FEINT,    FOR    EFFECT.  273 

were  then  taken  to  the  Briggs  house.  The  othi  -a 
also  came  in  later,  and  found  no  one  to  meet  them  ex- 
cept a  delegation  of  brotherhood  engineers  who  en- 
deavored to  proselyte  them.     This  work  was  in  vain.™ 

"We  would  not  have  come  here  to  take  these  plao 
said  one  of  the  men,  "but  we  are  forced  to  it.  There 
is  no  place  for  us  in  Pennsylvania.  We  have  been 
driven  out  by  the  Brotherhood  of  Locomotive  Engi- 
neers. That  is  true,  every  word  of  it.  Our  men  who 
were  working  in  blast-furnaces  at  $i  a  day,  were  driv- 
en away  like  vagabonds  to  wander  over  the  earth  be- 
cause they  were  strikers.  Yes,  we  are  Knights  of 
Labor,  but  we  are  men  and  we  can  stand  up  and 
fend  ourselves.  We  leave  starving  families.  Three 
of  our  party  leave  at  home  dying  wives  to  earn  for 
them  the  very  necessities  of  life  of  which  they  stand  in 
need.  If  the  Brotherhood  engineers  had  not  inter- 
fered  with  us  we  would  not  have  been  here  to-day. 
But  they  displaced  us;  now  we  displace  them. 
There  is  no  room  for  argument  here.  The  facts  are 
there,  and  we  will  abide  by  them." 

"This  morning  at  seven  o'clock,  March  2,  150  more 
Reading  men  will  arrive  at  the  Union  Depot  by  the 
Fort  Wayne  road." 

"  Twenty  of  the  new  men  who  were  sent  out  on  the 
5  :35  train  last  evening  deserted  after  going  out  a  short 
distance  and  returned  to  the  city  at  6:40  last  eveni 
They  said  that  they  had  had  all  they  wanted  of  rail- 
roading. They  only  wanted  a  chance  to  see  Chicag 
and  had  taken  advantage  of  the  opportunity  offered 
by  the  strike."  ' 

Philadelphia,    March     2. — General    Superintendent 
19 

\  Chicago  News. 


274  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

Swigert  of  the  Reading  railroad  company,  said :  "The 
entire  number  of  locomotive  engineers  who  left  the 
service  of  the  Philadelphia  and  Reading  companv  dur- 
ing the  recent  labor  disturbance  was  109."  ' 

The  nineteen  Brotherhood  men  who  took  places  on 
the  Reading  must  have  been  a  power  indeed  to  have 
displaced  fort)'  thousand  miners,  and  blast  furnace 
men,  beside  all  this-army  of  men  who  call  themselves 
Reading  Knights,  who  are  coming  for  vengeance.  To 
the  reading  public  who  found  the  newspapers  filled 
with  this  astonishing  exodus  from  Pennsylvania,  and 
the  wholesale  charges  of  our  labor  organization 
against  another,  it  must  have  brought  vividly  to 
mind  the  Irish,  traditional  duel: 

There  was  once  two  cats  in  Kilkenny, 

And  each  thought  there  was  one  cat  to  many; 

So  they  quarrelled  and  fit, 

And  they  gouged  and  they  bit, 

Till,  excepting  their  nails, 

And  the  tips  of  their  tails, 

Instead  of  two  cats  there  wasn't  any. 

The  grand  officers  of  the  twin  Brotherhoods,  as 
they  were  very  appropriately  called,  from  their  infor- 
mation, did  not  believe  these  stories,  and  they  sent 
out  the  following  to  all  points  along  the  line: 

Grand  Pacific  Hotel,  March  1,  1888. 

To  Engineers  and  Firemen. 
Dear  Sirs  and  Brothers : 

"We  are  informed  that  a  number  of  men  are  being 
distributed  by  the  company,  on  the  system,  with  a 
view  to  demoralize  the  ranks  of  our  men    along  the 

1  Associated  Press  report. 


FEINT,    FOR   EFFECT.  275 

line  and  give  the  appearance  that  a  sufficient  number 
of  engineers  and  firemen  Have  been  secured  to  resume 
operations.  Pay  no  attention  to  such  reports  or  to 
outward  appearances.  The  outlook  is  better  than  ever 
before.  Success  is  practically  in  sight.  Do  not,  under 
any  possible  circumstances,  allow  yourselves  to  be 
misled  as  to  the  situation.  Stand  firm,  and  do  not  lose 
courage.  We  have  no  hesitancy  in  saying  that  our 
cause  will  triumph." 

Yours  Fraternally,  P.  M.Arthur, 

F.  P.  Sargent. 

At  the  time  this  was  written  negotiations  were 
pending  with  President  Perkins  which  possibly  lent 
some  strength  to  Messrs.  Arthur  and  Sargent's  assur- 
ance. This  meeting  was  brought  about  by  Mr.  Geo. 
E.  Detwiler  and  Judge  Parker,  who  thought  that  if  a 
meeting  could  be  arranged  between  the  belligerent 
parties  that  some  understanding  might  be  reached. 
The  meeting  finally  took  place  in  President  Perkins' 
room  in  the  Grand  Pacific  hotel.  There  were  two  of 
the  board  of  directors  present,  Mr.  Detwiler  and 
Messrs.  Arthur  and  Sargent.  A  long  discussion  of  the 
points  at  issue  was  had,  and  the  grand  officers  ap- 
pealed to  Mr.  Perkins  to  grant  the  requests  of  the 
men,  but  to  no  purpose.  The  only  proposition  from 
Mr.  Perkins  was,  "  If  you  will  declare  the  strike  off, 
I  will  take  back  seventy-five  per  cent  of  the 
men,  and  the  balance  I  will  re-employ  as  soon  as  pos- 
sible." To  this  Mr.  Arthur  replied:  "Mr.  Perkins, 
before  I  will  <jro  to  the  men  and  ask  them  to  declare 
the  strike  off  on  such  terms,    I  will  sever  my  right  arm 


276 


THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 


from  my  body.*'  '  This  left  them  as  far  apart  as  ever. 
This  meeting,  of  such  grave  importance  to  the  partici- 
pants, as  illustrated  by  the  press,8  was  serious,  malic- 
ious, and  comical.     The  earnest  effort  to  secure  peace 


TRIANGULAR    POWWOW    OF   THE    CHIEFS. 


between  labor  and  capital  was  illustrated  in  the  trian- 
gular powwow,  the  three  interested  leaders,  Messrs. 
Perkins,  Powderly  and  Arthur,   smoking  the   pipe  of 


A  participant.  -  Chicago  News. 


FEINT,    FOR    EFFECT.  277 

peace,  while  the  Burlington  scabs  were  smashing  the 
property,  and  the  traveling  public  were  going  on  foot 
rather  than  take  the  chances  behind  such  men.  The 
meeting  caused  the  circulation  of  stories  of  a  settle- 
ment, which  did  not  please  the  management,  and  Mr. 
Stone  sent  the  following  to  all  superintendents  and 
master  mechanics:  "The  reports  which  I  understand 
have  been  sent  out  to  our  old  engineers  and  others  to 
the  effect  that  the  company  intends  to  yield  the  posi- 
tion it  has  taken  is  positively  without  foundation." 
Press  Agent  Morton  lost  nothing  of  his  importance 
as  these  things  were  transpiring.  While  he  passed 
round  the  cigars,  he  fairly  beamed  with  information. 
To  a  running  rire  of  questions,  he  summed  up  the 
situation  in  this  way;  "  The  situation,  so  far  as  to  the 
relations  between  the  strikers  and  the  railroad,  is  un- 
changed. The  conference  last  night  was  not  sought 
by  the  company,  and  nothing  was  accomplished  by  it. 
We  don't  consider  that  any  terms  of  compromise  were 
offered  or  suggested.  We  consider  it  a  great  misfor- 
tune that  our  old  engineers  have  been  induced  to  give 
up  their  places,  and  it  is  with  painful  reluctance  that 
we  see  their  places  being  rapidly  filled  by  strangers."  ' 
There  is  plenty  of  evidence  that  only  a  small  percen- 
tage of  the  strangers  were  Knights  of  Labor.  But 
men  came,  and  in  astonishing  numbers.  Mr.  Arthur 
said :  ;'  From  all  statistics  in  my  possession  there  can- 
not be  three  hundred  competent  engineers  in  the 
country  out  of  employment." 

i  Chicago  News. 


CHAPTER  XLI. 


RULE    OR    RUIN. 

Messrs.  Arthur  and  Sargent,  and  the  strikers  along 
the  line  who  had  been  brought  up  under  Burlington 
rules,  could  not  believe  that  the  Burlington  officials 
would  grab  at  anything  in  the  shape  of  a  man  to  fill 
their  places,  regardless  of  character  or  fitness.  But 
thev  were  soon  made  to  realize  that  such  was  a  fact. 
The  Chicago  Daily  News  had  the  following  cut  and 
comment: 

"  A  long  line  of 
men — labor-looking 
people,  stood  in  line 
waiting  an  opportu- 
nity to  go  before  G. 
W.  Rhodes,  superin- 
tendent of  motive 
power,  and  A.  For- 
syth, master  mechan- 
ic, who  were  detailed 
to  examine  applicants 
as  to  their  competen- 
cy. After  entering 
Superintendent 
Howland's  room 
they  gave  their  names,  and  then  were  sent  with  a  card 
to  the  examining-room.  A  stationarv  engineer  was 
soon  made   aware  of  the  fact  that  he  could  not  run  a 


SAMPLE  APPLICANTS   FOR  WORK. 


RULE    OR    RUIN.  279 

locomotive.  And,  too,  the  engineer  who  used  to 
jangle  a  bell  on  a  State  street  grip  car  was  hastily  in- 
formed that  he  was  not  wanted." 

There  must  have  been  some  of  the  stationary  engi- 
neers, and  street  car  bell  janglers,  that  were  sharp 
enough  to  fool  the  examiners  if  it  was  necessary  to 
fool  them,  for  it  is  certain  they  got  many  of  that  kind, 
and  men  who  had  their  character  and  their  watches — 
to  use  a  slang  phrase — in  soak. 

"  A  number  of  the  engineers  examined  and  accept- 
ed by  the  Burlington  company  had  no  watches.  An 
engineer  without  a  watch  is  like  a  ship  without  a  sail; 
a  fork  without  a  knife.  The  company  gave  these  men 
watches.  Half  a  dozen  of  them  took  their  time-pieces 
to  pawn-shops,  and  before  the  sun  set  had  painted 
the  town  a  purple  hue. 

"The  first  train  to  leave  the  city  went  out  at  12:01 
o'clock.  W.  H.  Chapin,  an  imported  engineer,  was 
placed  in  charge  of  the  lever,  and  a  young  man  who 
answered  to  the  name  of  Rankin  and  claimed  to  have 
hailed  from  Iowa,  piled  in  the  fuel.  There  was  an 
impression  abroad  that  Chapin  was  a  Reading  man, 
but  he  denied  the  charge.  A  funny  thing  happened 
just  before  the  train  started  which  afforded  consider- 
able amusement  for  the  crowd.  The  new  engineer 
was  somewhat  abashed  at  the  conspicuousness  of  the 
position  which  he  occupied,  and  seemed  to  be  unable 
to  tell  one  end  of  the  engine  from  another.  He  oiled 
the  headlight  and  smokestack  instead  of  the  piston, 
and  grabbed  the  fireman's  arm  instead  of  the  lever. 
Finally,  having  familiarized  himself  with  the  various 
parts  of  the  machine,  he  was  about  to  pull  out   when 


28o  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

the  fireman  suddenly  exclaimed:  'Say,  pard,  you've 
i  irgot  your  ticker.'  " 

"  By  Jove,  I  haven't  got  one,"  was  the  reply. 

"  You  blamed  fool,  you  can't  run  an  engine  without 
a  watch,  kin  your  " 

"  I  kin  run  it,  but  I  can't  run  it  on  time." 

"  Guess  you  fellers  must  a  been  workin  down  south 
where  thev  hev  lots  o'  time,  piped  in  a  striking  engi- 
neer who  had  been  enjoying  his  discomfiture." 

"  Shet  your  trap,"'  shouted  the  fireman,  and  the  po- 
lice stepped  in  to  prevent  bloodshed,  while  a  gateman 
presented  the  eastern  man  with  a  ticker." 

"  About  four  o'clock  Superintendent  Rowland  was 
seen  meandering  down  the  track  closely  followed  by  a 
Jot  of  seedy-looking  individuals  who  were  at  once 
recognized  as  importations." 

••  Where  did  you  get  your  men?  Superintendent 
Rowland  was  asked."' 

"  From  all  over.  I've  got  fifty  to-day,  and  more  are 
coming  all  the  time.  We  will  have  all  of  ourtrainsby 
to-morrow.     We  are  going  to  win  this  fight." 

"  Considerable  difficulty  was  experienced  in  select- 
ing a  tit  man  from  the  squad,  but  one  was  finally  found 
and  placed  in  charge  of  engine  206  and  it  drove  out 
for  Aurora  at  4:45.  Another  train  was  sent  out  at 
5    15.  and  the  last  one  left  the  depot  at  6:  30." 

•  The  incoming  trains  did  not  seem  to  materialize. 
The  bulletin-board  announced  in  big  letters  that  sever- 
al of  the  trains  were  on  time,  but  the  bulletin  prevari- 
cated. The  depot  master  said  that  certain  engines 
ild  steam  in  at  certain  times,  but  the  depot  master 
was  talking  over  his  left  shoulder.     The    6:20  train 


RULE    OR    RUIN.  28l 

was  not  right  on  hand,  and  eleven  hours  later  a  tall 
man  in  a  wolfskin  overcoat  solemnlv  affirmed  that  he 
had  watched  for  that  train  since  daylight." 

••  Some  experiences  of  the  companv  with  its  new 
engineers  were  amusing  to  the  strikers  but  essentially 
exasperating  to  the  officials  of  the  road.  A  train 
sta:-ted  from  Galesburg  with  a  new  man,  who  said  he 
knew  his  engine  as  well  as  if  he  had  made  it.  Mis  en- 
gine  pawed  and  snorted  like  a  race-horse  at  the  start- 
ing stretch.  It  wanted  to  get  away  at  the  minute 
scratch  and  skim  along  the  track  like  a  bird.  He  got 
the  word;  the  engineer  '  gave  her  sand.'  Away  she 
sped  for  five  miles.  Then  she  balked;  did  not  like 
her  new  rider.  The  injector  belonged  to  the  Brother- 
hood and  the  engineer  did  not.  Before  he  knew  what 
was  up  the  injector  had  pumped  the  boiler  full  of  cold 
water.  The  stop-cocks  froze  up  and  so  did  the  engi- 
neer's gavetv.  He  sadly  walked  to  the  nearest  station 
and  telegraphed  for  an  engine  to  pull  him  back. 
His  engine  was  dead." 

"  Four  engines  were  reported  to  be  '  burned  out,' 
or  dead,  between  Chicago  and  Galesburg.  Two  were 
said  to  be  burned  out  on  the  Kansas  City  branch.  A 
'burned-out  engine'  may  cost  $50  or  $1,000  for  re- 
pairs, according  to  the  size  of  the  burn."'  ' 

As  an  illustration  of  the  danger  to  property  and  life 
daily  occurring,  we  take  this  one  instance  from  the 
Chicago  Jlcrahi  of  March  2,  1888:  "  The  12  :oi  train 
which  left  the  city  on  Wednesdav  came  very  near 
meeting  with  a  serious  accident,  about  4:30  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon,  108  miles  west  of  this  city.  The  engi- 
neer of  the  locomotive  was  J.  W.  Chapman,  an  eastern 

1  Chirag  >  News. 


282  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE 

man,  it  is  claimed,  of  considerable  experience.  With 
him  was  General  Superintendent  Besler,  who  acted  as 
pilot  along  the  road.  The  train  was  the  heaviest  that 
had  left  this  city  since  the  strike  was  inaugurated,  and 
consisted  of  three  coaches,  two  sleepers,  two  postal, 
and  an  express  and  baggage  cars.  The  point  men- 
tioned is  about  four  miles  west  of  Princeton,  and 
three  miles  east  of  Wyanet.  At  this  part  of  the  road 
there  is  a  bridge  across  a  creek,  the  trestle  upon 
which  it  is  erected  being  ninety-six  feet  high.  Up  to 
near  the  bridge  and  east  of  it  the  road  is  double- 
tracked,  but  there  is  only  a  single  track  across  the 
bridge.  In  order,  however  to  prevent  collisions,  the 
road  has  laid  automatic  switches  at  each  approach,  so 
that  if  trains  come  in  opposite  directions,  the  one  at 
the  east  approach  will  be  thrown  from  the  main  track 
and  on  to  a  short  spur,  which  at  this  point,  runs  a 
short  distance  into  a  dense  piece  of  woods.  When  the 
train  was  approaching  this  bridge,  it  wras  running  at 
the  rate  of  forty-five  miles  an  hour.  Suddenlv  the  lo- 
comotive gave  a  lurch  and  the  clerks  in  the  postal  cars 
were  thrown  on  their  faces  by  the  jar  caused  by  the 
rapid  and  sudden  turning  from  the  main  line  on  the 
spur.  The  bank  of  the  creek  is  very  high,  and  a 
calamity  was  threatened  bv  the  train  being  thrown 
over  the  precipice,  as  the  cars  rocked  heavily  from 
side  to  side.  General  Superintendent  Besler  seized 
the  lever,  whistled  down  brakes  and  reversed  the  en- 
gine. There  was  no  train  coming  in  an  opposite 
direction  at  the  time,  but  it  was  by  only  a  miracle  that 
a  fearful  calamity  was  averted.  The  postal  clerks  in- 
sist that  the  accident  was  due  to  the   incompetency  of 


RULE    OR    RUIN.  283 

the  engineer,  who  had  no  business  to  run  at  such  fear- 
ful speed  when  approaching  the  bridge,  and  had  he 
been  running  at  the  ordinary  rate  of  speed — twenty 
miles  an  hour — the  train  would  not  have  left  the 
track."1 

"  At  Council  Bluffs,  Iowa,  a  petition  signed  by  all 
the  mail  clerks  on  the  Iowa  division  of  the  Burlington 
will  be  sent  to  Washington  to-morrow,  asking  F.  E. 
Nash,  general  superintendent  of  railway  mail  service, 
to  have  the  government  compel  the  road  to  put  com- 
petent engineers  on  the  mail  trains."  '-' 

Yet,  regardless  of  all  risk  to  patrons,  employes  and 
propertv,  Press  Agent  Morton  said:  "The  Iowa  divis- 
ional superintendent  telegraphs  that  twenty  freight 
trains  are  running  there  to-day,  and  a  few  freights  are 
running  on  most  of  the  other  divisions.  Two  freight 
trains  loaded  with  coal  left  Streator  this  morning  for 
local  points.  Everything  along  the  system  is  quiet, 
and  the  companv's  property  is  well  protected." 

"  How  much  will  the  strike  cost  the  Burlington 
company?  " 

"The  company  doesn't  know  and  doesn't  care." - 

Neither  did  they  care  what  kind  of  men  the}'  em- 
ployed, and  as  hundreds  of  men  presented  themselves, 
Messrs.  Arthur  and  Sargent  concluded  that  some  other 
steps  must  be  taken  beyond  an  effort  to  keep  these 
men  away.  Thousands  of  dollars  had  been  paid  out 
all  along  the  line  in  this  effort,  and  the  more  men  they 
induced  to  leave  the  more  came  to  rind  work,  or  to  sell 
themselves  to  the  strikers.  The  situation  looked  seri- 
ous and  perplexing.  Other  companies  were  evidently 
helping  the  Burlington.     The   men  who  came  to  take 

1  Chicago  Tribune.  -  Chicago  News. 


284  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

the  strikers'  places  said  they  came  on  passes  furnished 
by  the  Burlington  agents.  Burlington  tickets  were 
said  to  have  been  honored  by  other  roads,  because  of 
the  Burlington's  inability  to  transport  the  passengers 
after  selling  the  tickets:  and  direct  charges  were  made 
that  the  Burlington  freight  business  was  being  hand- 
led by  other  roads.  The  grievance  committees  from 
the  various  systems  centering  in  Chicago,  were  asking 
for  advice  about  transfers,  and  they  were  told  by 
Messrs.  Arthur  and  Sargent,  "  Do  not  handle  Burling- 
ton cars." 

The  order  created  much  uneasiness  among  general 
managers  of  other  roads.  It  brought  many  of  them 
to  the  Grand  Pacific  to  consult  with  the  Brotherhood 
leaders.  There  were  so  many  parties  seeking  advice 
as  to  duties,  that  it  was  deemed  best  to  call  in  the 
grievance  committees,  and  on  March  2.  1888,  the  fol- 
lowing order  was  issued  to  the  chairman  of  the  gen- 
eral grievance  committee  of  the  Brotherhood  of  Loco- 
motive Engineers  and  Firemen  on  the  railroads  center- 
ing in  Chicago. 

To  chairman  General  Grievance  Committee,  B.  of 
L.  E.  and  F. — Dear  Sir  and  Brother:  You  are 
hereby  authorized  and  ordered  to  come  to  the  city  of 
Chicago  at  once  and  report  at  the  headquarters. 
There  are  many  important  matters  to  consider  in  con- 
nection with  the  Chicago,  Burlington  and  Quincy 
strike,  and  your  immediate  presence  is  imperative. 
Be  prepared  to  convene  your  committee  from  here  at 
a  moment's  notice.     Fraternally, 

P.  M.  Arthur,  G.  C.  E. 

F.  P.  Sargent,  G.  C.  F. 


RULE    OR    RUIN.  255 

This  order  was  sent  to  the  chairman  of  the  commit- 
tees on  the  following  roads: 

Chicago  &  Alton;  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific; 
Missouri  Pacific;  Wabash;  Burlington,  Cedar  Rapids 
&  Northern;  Union  Pacific;  Wisconsin  Central;  Chica- 
go, Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul;  Baltimore  &  Ohio;  Chica- 
go, Burlington  &  Northern;  Louisville,  New  Albany 
&  Chicago:  Illinois  Central;  New  York,  Chicago  & 
St.  Louis:  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy;  Atchison, 
Topeka  &  Santa  Fe;  Chicago  &  North-Western ; 
Minnesota  &  North-Western;  Chicago  &  Eastern  Illi- 
nois; Chicago  &  Atlantic;  St.  Paul,  Minneapolis  & 
Manitoba;  and  Chicago  &  Grand  Trunk. 

In  the  meantime  large  union  meetings  were  held 
throughout  the  country.  At  New  York  city  strong 
resolutions  were  passed  against  other  railroads  assisting 
the  Burlington,  and  also  strongly  approving  of  the 
strike  and  offering  Financial  support.  At  St.  Paul,  two 
hundred  and  fifty  members  of  divisions  150  and  369, 
Brotherhood  of  Locomotive  Engineers,  passed  resolu- 
tions in  hearty  sympathy  with  the  strike,  and  guaran- 
teed their  financial  assistance,  and  ordered  one  thou- 
sand dollars  sent  to  Chicago.  At  LaFayette,  Indiana^ 
the  following  resolution  was  adopted  and  sent  to  P.  M. 
Arthur,  Grand  Chief  Engineer:  :'  Our  sympathies 
are  with  you  and  the  enginemen  of  the  Burlington. 
Fight  it  out  to  the  bitter  end.  We  send  you  one 
thousand  dollars."  In  Indianapolis,  March  4,  at  a 
meeting  of  Division  No.  11,  representing  the  engi- 
neers employed  on  the  sixteen  railroads  centering 
there,  the  strike  on  the  Burlington  was  approved,  and 
a  telegram  sent  to  Chief  Arthur  urging  the  strikers  to 


286  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

stand  firm,  that  the  members  of  that  division  were 
ready  to  meet  any  demands  that  might  be  made  upon 
them.  From  all  over  the  country  came  assurances  of 
loyalty  to  the  Brotherhoods  and  liberality  in  furnishing 
money  that  was  astonishing.  There  were  many  in- 
stances of  members  tendering  their  whole  month's  sal- 
ary, and  many  men,  who  were  not  members  of  either 
organization,  gave  their  money  freely,  vacating  their 
places  as  readily  as  the  members.  It  was  the  prevail- 
ing opinion  among  laboring  men,  that  the  Burlington 
had  been  chosen  as  the  battle  field  between  capital 
and  labor,  and  that  companies  other  than  the  Burling- 
ton were  equally  interested  in  the  outcome.  And  al- 
most a  unit  was  secured  of  the  responsible,  thinking 
laborers,  in  working  for  a  common  cause  regardless 
of  personal  pique.  With  this  vast  army,  loyal  to  the 
common  interests  of  labor,  sending  heart-cheering 
words  and  money,  good  fellowship  and  good  wishes, 
the  way  seemed  clear,  and  the  time  auspicious,  for  a 
test  of  whether  labor,  numbering  thousands,  should 
have  a  voice  equal  to  one  in  fixing  the  price  of  its  pro- 
duct. Under  these  circumstances  the  committees 
which  had  been  called  bv  the  order  of  March  2,  bv 
the  grand  officers,  arrived  in  Chicago  on  March  5, 
1888,  and  held  the  most  important  meeting  of  the 
year.  They  held  within  their  grasp  greater  possi- 
bilities than  any  other.  They  had  the  power  and 
voted  to  use  it,  which  no  other  meeting  within  my 
knowledge  had. 

This  meeting  was  held  in  secret  session,  or  was  so 
intended  by  the  participants.  But  there  must  have 
been  a   black-sheep   among   them,    moved    by    some 


RULE    OR    RUIN.  287 

other  motive  than  the  good  of  the  order,  who  gave  to 
the  Chicago  Tribune  a  verbatim  report  of  the  reso- 
lutions passed  which  were  as  follows:  "Resolved: 
That  the  chairman  of  each  system  here  represented, 
go  home,  convene  his  local  committee,  call  on  the  offi- 
cers and  notify  them  that  the  engineers  and  firemen 
will  not  handle  Burlington  cars  or  traffic  of  any  kind." 
"Also  that  the  men  are  to  be  instructed  by  the  chair- 
man of  the  grievance  committee  of  each  road,  that 
if  a  Burlington  car,  or  any  freight,  shall  be  put  upon 
them  they  will  refuse  to  handle  it,  and  if  they  are 
compelled  by  the  company  to  do  so,  they  will  still  re- 
fuse, and  if  they  are  discharged,  then  the  engineers 
and  firemen  on  the  system  will  strike."  Messrs. 
Arthur  and  Sargent  were  asked  if  they  would  sanction 
a  strike  under  such  circumstances  and  the  answer  was, 
"In  war  times  we  must  adopt  war  measures.  We 
will  give  our  sanction." 

Here  was  a  power  that  was  almost  unlimited,  but  it 
was  a  negative  force,  so  far  as  the  officers  were  con- 
cerned and  was  not  available,  only  so  far  as  the  men 
themselves  would  vote  to  adopt  the  measures  suggest- 
ed by  their  chairman.  These  measures  might  be  sanc- 
tioned, but  could  not  be  ordered  by  the  grand  officers, 
so  that  upon  the  union  of  sentiment  depended  all  this 
power.  When  the  resolution  to  boycott  Burlington 
cars  was  adopted,  the  seed  of  discord  was  sown.  In 
war,  there  is  a  vast  difference  between  supporting  the 
line  of  battle  and  being  in  the  line  of  battle  itself.  It 
was  so  in  the  Burlington  fight;  it  was  found  there  is  a 
vast  difference  between  passing  resolutions  to  sustain 
the  Burlington  strikers,  and  voting    themselves  into  a 


288  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

position  that  might  plunge  them  into  a  strike  them- 
selves. 

These  committeemen  left  for  their  homes  to  follow 
out  the  instructions  contained  in  the  resolutions.  Up- 
on one  road  there  was  found  a  minority,  who,  when 
put  to  the  test,  were  found  on  the  safe  side.  They  went 
to  the  general  manager  and  told  him  they  would  hand- 
le Burlington  cars.  This  general  manager  had  said 
that  he  would  not  try  to  handle  Burlington  cars  as  long 
as  the  other  roads  did  not.  In  taking  this  action,  and 
notifying  the  managers  what  they  would  do  if  they 
compelled  the  enginemen  to  handle  Burlington  busi- 
ness, they  only  wished  to  go  to  that  extent  that  the  doors 
of  their  respective  roads  would  be  closed  against  Bur- 
lington business.  This  could  not  be  done  without  tak- 
ing the  chances  of  rinding  some  general  manager  who 
would  demand  that  the  men  choose  between  handling 
any  business  offered  them,  and  quitting.  It  was  a 
critical  test,  yet  it  was  the  only  means  by  which  they 
could  expect  to  succeed  in  boycotting  the  Burlington. 
It  left  the  general  managers  to  decide  whether  they 
would  have  a  strike  or  not.  If  the  men  on  all  the  lines 
had  shown  a  positive  determination  not  to  handle  Bur- 
lington cars,  and  if  there  had  been  no  weakness  shown 
at  any  point,  it  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that  none  of 
the  managers  would  have  made  the  demand  which 
would  have  closed  their  road  by  a  strike.  The  grand 
officers,  and  other  leaders  of  the  Brotherhoods,  believed 
this  move  would  have  a  powerful  influence  on  the  Bur- 
lington, and  they  were  willing  to  await  developments, 
believing  the  men,  without  an  exception,  would  prove 
loyal.     From  this  move  nearly  every  road  in  the  whole 


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RULE    OR    RUIN.  289 

circle  of  the  Burlington's  connecting  lines  was  closed. 
While  the  leaders  of  the  strike  are  waiting  for  develop- 
ments, let  us  look  at  the  situation  along  the  line  of  the 
Burlington.     .    . 

The  Burlington  officials  were  giving  the  public  to 
understand  that  they  were  getting  all  the  men  they 
wanted,  and  that  the  quality  was  equal  to  the  old  men, 
but  from  certain  letters  received  at  the  strikers'  head- 
quarters it  would  appear  that  the  Burlington  company 
was  not  having  things  all  its  own  way  securing  engi- 
neers. The  following  letter  sent  by  Master  Mechanic 
R.  W.  Colville,  of  Galesburg,  111.,  to  one  of  its  former 
engineers,  discharged  five  years  ago  for  alleged  in- 
competency, is  self-explanatory.  The  name  is  pur- 
posely suppressed,  but  the  engineer's  present  address  is 
Racine,  Wis. : 

Dear  Sir :  You  are,  of  course,  aware  ere  this  of  the 
situation  on  the  'Q'  system,  brought  about  by  the  de- 
mands of  the  engineers'  and  firemen's  brotherhoods. 
Are  you  willing  to  come  back  to  Galesburg  at  once 
and  aid  the  company  during  this  temporary  trouble  by 
service  as  a  locomotive  engineer?  I  will  give  you  my 
positive  assurance  that  if  you  do  come,  all  of  tl'e  past 
will  be  overlooked  by  the  company,  and  your  action 
in  rendering  assistance  at  this  time  will  be  remembered 
by  the  management.  Furthermore,  your  position  here 
after  the  end  of  this  trouble  will  be  a  permanant  one, 
and  one  which  will  give  you  no  cause  or  reason  to  re- 
gret leaving  your  present  one.  Please  wire  me  at 
once  on  receipt  of  this  if  you  will  come,  and  if  so, 
come  by  the  first  train  bv  anv  route  bv  which  vou  can 
get  here  the  quickest,  and  whatever  expense  you  incur 


29O  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

.'.  be  made  good  to  you 

Engines  were  being  burned,  the  company's  property 

.roved,  and  the  public  greatly  inconvenienced. 

••  No.  4.  the  fast  mail,  due  in  Chicago  at  6:53  a.  m. 

arrived  at  the  Union  depot  at  11:03.     At  Naperville 

5    :o  o'clock,  this  train  passed  No.   S.  a  through 

train,  which  should  have  arrived  in  this  city  at  6:  20  a. 

m.     This  train  was  helpless,  because  the  engineer,  a 

and  incompetent  man,  had  burned  out  his  rlre-box 

and  was  unable  to  make  steam.     The  passengers,  and 

ir  baggage,  were  tran-  .1  to  the  fast  mail,  and 

brought  into  the  citv." 

m 

••At    Ottumwa,   Iowa,    the   company   put    several 
brakemen  on  passsenger  engine 

At  Quinev,  111.,  March  1,  u  The  first    freight  sent 
out  s  ke  began,  went  out  this  afternoon  on 

the  Carthage  branch  to  Burlington,  with  Follct.  a  sub- 
marine  diver,  as  engine  Passenger  trains  on  the 

L         .  Keokuk  v.v  Northwestern    had  been  aban- 
doned, because  the  Wabash  engineers  refused  to  take 
trains  over  the  Wabash  to  St.  Peters,   the  Bur- 
ton having  no  track  from  St.  Peters  to  St.  Louis. 
The    S      Louis  bridge  engineers  refused  to  trar. 
Burlington  cars.'" 

A    telegram   to  the  Chicago  JVews   from    Omaha, 
raska,  March  1,  said:  u  A  Burlington  official  said 
-  lay:  •  The  road,  by  working  steadily,  has  now  se- 
cured a  man  for  engine,  and  to-morrow  even  the 
-     :tch  engines  will  be  running 

The  same  report  said:  ••  Xot  a  pound  of  freight  has 

n    moved    by   the  Burlington  and   Missouri    river 

road    since  the  strike  began.       Passenger  trains  are 


RULE    OR    RUIN.  29 1 

_  inning  to  arrive  more  frequently,  although  most  of 
them    are    from    one    to    three    hours    behind    hand. 
Twentv-eight  Pinkerton  men  arrived   and  went  < 
from  here  lasfnight.  .  were  armed  with  Winches- 

ter rifu 

••  Creston,  Iowa.  March  2.  The  situation  shows  a 
turn  to-day  favoring  the  Brotherhoods,  so  far  as  the 
west  Iowa  division  is  concerned.  State  Commission- 
er Peter  A.  Day.  has  held  an  investigation  here  to- 
day at  the  direction  of  Governor  Larabee.  examining 
engine-  s  _arding  their  fitness.  Nine  acting  engi- 
neers were  on  the  witness  -  ;nd.  and  nearlv  all  t 
tied  that  they  were  inexperienced,  and  did  not  consider 
themselves    competent    engines  :>me     acknowl- 

:    _.d   they   were  now  running  engines  for  the  first 
time,  and  were  pulling  passenger  trains." 

Lincoln.  Nebraska.  March  2.  Pinkerton  men 
were  added  to  the  militarv  displav  at  the  Burlington 
grounds  to-dav,  and  from  the  fact  that  not  a  disturb- 
ance of  anv  kind  had  occurred  or  anv  arrest  been  made, 
or  anv  interference  whatever  offered  by  the   striking 

_  .  the  citizens  look  with  no  favor  on  the  1. 

importation." ' 

•  Denver.  March  2.  One  of  the  two  men  who  had 
been  secured  bv  the  Burlinjjton  road  to  handle  its 
aes.  has  come  to  grief.  He  has  been  conduc  _ 
a  photograph  outfit  on  wheels.  This  probably  inspired 
him  with  the  idea  that  he  could  run  an  engine.  He 
took  a  train  out  vesterdav  morning,  but  when  he 
reached  Brush  station  the  encfine  was  so  badlv  burned 
that  it  was  unfit  for  further  service ." 

"  Kansas  City,    Missouri.    March     2.       Engine    75. 

Associated  Press  report. 


292  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

in  charge  of  Engineer  Grange,  was  burned  out  near 
Harlem  this  morning."  ' 

"Brookfield,  Missouri,  March  2.  The  usual 
day  passenger  trains  have  gone  through,  carrying  pas- 
sengers and  express  and  mail,  though  somewhat  out 
of  time.  The  efforts  of  the  strikers  are  mainly  put 
forth  to  induce  the  men  who  come  to  take  their  places, 
to  quit.  In  this  they  have  partially  succeeded,  buying 
off  some,  and  scaring  off  others,  but  careful  surveillance 
is  kept  by  the  officials,  and  thus  far  no  train  has  been 
delayed  here.  Last  evening  one  freight  was  sent 
west.  None  went  out  to-day.  The  public  confidence 
in  the  ability  of  the  company  to  master  the  situation  is 
somewhat  strengthened  by  the  movements  of  trains, 
but  the  resumption  of  business  is  far  from  an  accom- 
plished fact.  The  inexperienced  character  of  the  new 
men  is  shown  in  the  disabling  of  several  engines,  and 
inability  to  make  time.  There  was  a  rumor  of  acts 
of  petty  lawlessness  by  which  it  was  sought  to 
endanger  travel,  but  none  have  occurred  here,  and  it 
is  the  constant  assertion  of  the  resident  strikers  that 
they  will  not  countenance  or  allow  any  act  of  trespass 
upon  company  property."' 

';  Lincoln,  Nebraska,  March  4.  Sixty  new  engi- 
neers arrived  in  the  night  from  the  east,  and  have  been 
put  to  work  here  and  distributed  among  the  different 
divisions  in  the  state.  The  company  expresses  itself 
as  able  now  to  handle  all  business,  but  the  trains  do  not 
depart  in  numbers  sufficient  to  warrant  the  statement. 
No  through  business  of  any  character  is  attempted, 
but  the  company  has  a  force  of  engineers  who  are  yet 
untried,   though  in  numbers  sufficient  to  handle  local 

1  Chicago  News. 


RULE    OR    RUIN. 


293 


business.  Travel  is  very  light,  and  the  other  roads 
centering  here  are  reaping  a  harvest.  The  Brother- 
hoods have  been  diligently  at  work  on  the  new  men 
making  converts.  A  number  of  them  were  in  the 
Brotherhood's  hall  and  announced  their  intention  of 
returning  home.  They  said  they  were  promised  $4  a 
day  to  come,  but  they  found  that  the  company  would 
put  them  on  their  graded  rates  which  only  pay  $2.25 
a  day.  The  same  class  of  work  they  declared  paid 
$3.10  a  day  on  eastern  roads.  A  Reading  Knight  of 
Labor,  engineer,  made  a  speech  in  the  hall,  and  said 
that  their  coming  west  was  a  mistake.  He  thought 
the  railroads  were  using  both  the  Brotherhoods  and 
the  Knights  of  Labor  to  destrov  each  other." 

"  Hastings,  Nebraska,  March  4.  Practicallv,  there 
is  no  change  here  since  the  beginning  of  the  strike. 
Two  mail  trains  run  irregularly  each  way  on  the  main 
line  every  twentv-four  hours,  and  fragments  of  freight 
trains,  carrying  coal  principally,  are  occasionally  sent 
out  to  supply  the  demands  along  the  branch  lines  where 
no  other  service  is  had.  Fuel  is  becoming  scarce  on 
the  Burlington  lines  in  this  state.  The  Burlington  is 
losing  its  hold  on  the  mercantile  trade  of  the  city 
which  is  being  transferred  to  its  competitors." 

"Clinton,  Iowa,  March  4.  .V  Burlington  freight 
train  pulled  into  the  yard  yesterday.  It  was  the  first 
since  the  strike.  On  the  engine  were  two  strangers, 
who  were  at  once  beset  by  the  Brotherhood  men  who 
begged  them  to  leave  the  engine.  At  length  the  en- 
gineer asked  for  $80  for  himself  and  his  fireman, 
which  was  handed  him.  He  then  said  he  would  pull 
his  engine  back  to  the  Mendota  end  of  his  division 


294  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

and  leave  the  employ  of  the  comparry.  He  pulled  out 
for  the  roundhouse  and  had  not  gone  but  a  short  dis- 
tance when  the  fireman  jumped  off  the  engine  and 
went  back  to  the  Brotherhood  men,  who  greeted  him 
with  a  cheer.  He  was  given  some  money  and  then 
he  went  back  east.*"  ' 

Denver,  Colorado,  March  6.  In  addition  to  the 
single  passenger  train,  in  and  out  to  da)-,  the  Bur- 
lington sent  two  freight  trains  east,  and  one  freight 
train  is  expected  to  arrive.  Freight  is  being  received 
for  local  points,  but  shippers  invariably  send  by  other 
routes  anything  destined  for  common  points.  The 
mayor  has  taken  offense  at  the  presence  of  deputy 
sheriffs  who  are  doing  police  duty  about  the  Burling- 
ton yards.  He  declares  that  the  city  police  are  equal 
to  all  demands.  The  strikers  are  conducting  them- 
selves in  the  same  orderly  manner  as  they  have  done 
from  the  outset."1 

The  Burlington  had  great  appearance  of  success  in 
manning  their  engines:  they  had  gathered  a  large 
number  of  engineers  such  as  they  were,  and  they 
were  putting  the  best  face  possible  on  their  side  of  the 
story.  They  were  indifferent  as  to  the  cost  or  the 
destruction  of  property;  the  road  was  lined  with  dep- 
uty sheriffs  and  Pinkerton  detectives,  evidently  with- 
out consent  or  pre-arrangement  of  local  authorities. 
While  their  facilities  were  improving,  their  business 
was  going  to  other  companies:  their  losses  and  in- 
creased expenses  were  enormous.  Even  the  great 
military  display  did  not  deter  the  strikers  from  solic- 
iting their  new  men.  The  company  built  places  for 
the  new  men  for  dining  and  sleeping,  and  commanded 

i  Chicago  News. 


RUXE    OR    RUIN.  295 

them  to  stay  within  their  walls,  yet  man}-  of  them 
would  violate  this  rule — their  appetite  demanded  it. 
In  Brookfield,  even  a  prohibition  hotel  keeper  was  seen 
wrending  his  way  on  Sunday  with  a  basket  rilled  with 
the  sparkling  "elixir,"  so  necessary  to  the  wants  of 
these  men.  On  all  sides  the  road  was  closed  to 
through  traffic.  The  railroad  commissioners  of  Iowa 
had  investigated  the  character  of  engineers  employed 
in  Iowa,  and  had  pronounced  them  incompetent. 


CHAPTER  XLII. 

THE    STRIKE,    IN    CONGRESS    AND    IN    COURT. 

In  Congress  March  5,  1888,  representative  White, 
of  Indiana,  had  offered  the  following: 

"Whereas:  There  has  been  inaugurated  a  great 
strike  on  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy 
railroad,  which,  if  not  speedily  checked,  will  end  in 
wide  spread  disaster  and  suffering,  not  only  to  those 
immediately  engaged  in  it,  but  to  others  who  are  not 
directly  connected  therewith,  yet  nevertheless,  are 
greatly  affected  by  the  prolongation  of  said  strike; 
Resolved:  That  a  special  committee  of  five  be  ap- 
pointed by  the  speaker,  to  proceed  at  once  to  Chicago 
and  there  investigate  the  conditions,  and  that  they  be 
empowered  and  requested  to  act  as  mediators  between 
the  Burlington  and  Chief  Arthur,  and  bring  about  a 
settlement  of  the  pending  trouble  and  difference  which 
will  be  amicable  and  agreeable  to  both  parties,  so  that 
the  strike  will  terminate.  Referred  to  committee  on 
commerce." 

The  Burlington  had,  before  the  strike,  reduced  rates 
for  freight  below  reason,  to  compel  other  lines  to  do 
their  bidding.  Reductions  in  the  freight  tariff  began 
to  occur  for  other  reasons.  On  March  2,  Chairman 
Midgeley  was  notified  of  a  tariff  reduction  on  packing 
house  products  from  Missouri  river  points  to  Chicago, 
to  ten  cents  per  one  hundred  pounds,  to  hold  its 
business.     Yet  Press  Agent  Morton  said,  when  asked 


THE    STRIKE,    IN    CONGRESS    AND    IN    COURT.        297 

about  the  situation,  "  We  are  running  forty-seven 
passenger  trains  and  one  hundred  and  one  freight 
trains  on  the  Iowa  division,  and  on  the  Illinois  division 
we  are  running  more  trains  than  in  Iowa.  All  around 
we  are  doing  quite  well.  Everything  is  lovely  and 
the  goose  hangs  high."  ' 

It  will  not  be  questioned  that  the  Burlington's  news 
dispenser  was  equal  to  his  task.  While  he  is  giving 
such  a  charming  picture  of  the  situation,  the  Chicago 
Tribune  of  the  same  date,  March  7,  had  a  review  of 
affairs,  of  a  contrasted  hue : 

"  The  boycott  on  the  Burlington  is  almost  complete, 
so  far  as  the  western  roads  are  concerned.  At  all 
junctions  along  the  line  of  the  Burlington  may  be 
found  long  rows  of  cars,  delivered  by  the  company  to 
roads  that  will  not  move  them  from  the  place  where 
thev  have  been  left  by  the  non-brotherhood  crews. 
The  Chicago  &  North-Western  had  hundreds  of  cars 
lying  in  its  various  yards  consigned  to  points  on  the 
Burlington,  while  the  Burlington  has  hundreds  of  cars 
that  the  Chicago  &  North- Western  will  not  accept  and 
forward  to  points  of  destination.  The  same  is  true  of 
the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul:  the  Chicago  & 
Alton;  the  Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific;  the  Santa 
Fe;  the  Eastern  Illinois;  the  Illinois  Central:  and  the 
Wabash.  The  officials  of  the  Alton,  Rock  Island, 
Northwestern,  Wabash,  and  other  roads,  admit  that 
thev  had  agreed  to  refuse  to  handle  Burlington  traffic. 
Thev  said  they  could  not  afford  to  do  otherwise,  as  the 
loss  to  them  from  stoppage  of  their  business  would  be 
immense.  One  of  them  said  he  could  not  see  why  his 
road    should    allow    itself  to  become  involved  in    the 

1  Chicago  Tribune,  March  6,  1SS8. 


298  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

strike,  simply  to  help  out  the  Burlington.  When  the 
western  roads  lately  tried  to  restore  rates  to  a  paying 
basis,  the  Burlington  objected.  It  paid  no  considera- 
tion to  the  desires  of  its  competitors  then,  and  there  is 
no  reason  why  the  latter  should  show  any  consideration 
to  the  Burlington  now.  '  Self-preservation,'  he  said, 
'was  the  first  duty  of  his  road,  and  he  meant  to  act  up- 
on that  principal.'" 

While  it  was  evidently  the  desire  of  all  the  other 
managers  to  keep  out  of  the  fight,  the  Burlington 
management  was  bound  to  bring  them  into  it.  They 
have  never  been  very  considerate  of  anv  one's  inter- 
est but  their  own.  A  writer  in  the  Aurora  Daily 
Express  says :  "  When  the  Burlington  gets  on  the 
defensive,  and  is  weak  in  the  knees,  it  piously  turns  to 
the  law.  When  the  Burlington  has  anv  scheme  to 
carry  out  in  utter  defiance  of  law,  then,  the  law  be " 

They  were  hemmed  in  on  all  sides  at  this  time,  and 
at  once  instituted  legal  proceedings  to  compel  compli- 
ance with  the  inter-state  commerce  law.  They  chose 
the  Wabash,  as  that  was  in  the  hands  of  the  United 
States  court  under  General  McNulta.  Assistant  Gen- 
eral Passenger  Agent  Wakely  said:  "The  fight  be- 
tween the  Burlington  and  the  strikers  is  over.  We 
have  won  the  battle  and  can  now  take  a  rest  and  look 
on,  while  Chief  Arthur  and  his  hosts  tackle  the  other 
fellows.  We  have  stood  the  brunt  of  the  shock,  and 
set  the  pace  for  our  competitors  to  follow.  I  see  that 
some  of  them  hesitate  about  showing  fight,  and  seem 
to  lack  that  amount  of  sand  necessary  for  a  good  sol 
dier.  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  the  strikers  are  playing 
a  bold  game  of  bluff,  and  that  they  will  stop  all  of  this 


THE    STRIKE,    IN    CONGRESS    AND    IN    COURT.         299 

foolishness  when  the  railroad  companies  take  the 
decided  stand  they  must  assume  sooner  or  later.'"  : 
The  smile  of  assurance  that  accompanied  this  declara- 
tion would  no  doubt  have  faded,  had  he  been  able  to 
see  further  into  the  future.  The  Burlington  had  an 
opportunity  to  make  the  declaration  that  "  the  strike 
was  off,"  many  times  before  it  really  was,  and  contin- 
ued to  feel  the  power  of  the  "bluff"  many  months. 

The  Grand  Pacific  hotel,  of  Chicago,  is  the  official 
centerof  all  roads  entering  Chicago,  and  in  the  build- 
ing was  located  the  strikers'  headquarters.  Messrs. 
Arthur  and  Sargent  were  both  there  and  also 
Messrs.  Hoge  and  Murphy,  the  chairmen  of  the  engi- 
neer's and  firemen's  committee.  In  the  immense 
rotunda  could  be  seen  the  greatest  activity.  Men  were 
hurrying  through  the  crowd,  type  writers  with  nimble 
fingers  were  weaving  the  thread  of  information,  or 
instruction,  and  the  electric  current  was  kept  busv  with 
messages,  in  and  out.  It  had  the  appearance  of  a 
great  national  caucus.  The  strikers'  headquarters 
were  no  less  active.  Men  representing  roads  in  all 
parts  of  the  country,  came  for  advice,  eager  to  lend  a 
helping  hand;  proffers  of  money,  votes  of  confidence, 
and  gratuitous  advice  came  on  wings. 

While  the  Burlington  had  only  their  own  road  to 
watch,  Arthur  and  Sargent  must  watch  and  direct  all 
roads,  and  at  this  time,  March  6,  nothing  but  united, 
unselfish  devotion  to  the  cause  of  the  two  Brother- 
hoods could  be  expected  to  win  the  battle.  The  Bur- 
lington were  finding  substitutes.  So  the  boycott  had 
been  decided  on  as  the  most  powerful  weapon,  but  to 
use   this  successfully  the    most    absolute  loyalty    was 

1  Chicago  Tribune. 


300  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

necessary.  Realizing  this,  every  indication  of  a  break 
far  or  near,  in  the  solidity  of  the  line  of  boycott  which 
surrounded  the  Burlington,  brought  with  it  an  unpleas- 
ant realization  that  the  chief  and  grand  master  of  the 
two  Brotherhoods  lacked  the  power  to  order  and 
compel.  They  must  depend  for  obedience  upon  that 
slender  thread  in  human  nature — honor. 

With  this  feeling  uppermost  in  their  minds,  the  fol- 
lowing telegram  was  received  from  Kansas  City, 
nearly  500  miles  away:  "Grand  Chief  P.  M.  Arthur: 
Complications  may  arise  at  anv  time,  making  the 
counsel  and  presence  of  Grand  Organizer  S.  M.  Ste- 
vens necessary.     Answer  quick.     J.  C.  Murray."' 

This  request  was  complied  with,  and  Mr  Stevens 
assigned  to  duty.  Shortly  another  one  was  received 
addressed  to  the  Grand  Chief:  "  Kansas  City,  Mis- 
souri :  Roads  centering  here  are  violating  pledges  not 
to  handle  Burlington  business.  The  men  feel  that  the 
time  has  come  to  act.'  J.  C.  M 

The  fear  of  hasty  action  added  to  other  combina- 
tions, m  ade  the  situation  anything  but  pleasant  at  head- 
quarters, and  Kansas  City  being  the  terminal  point  of 
some  twenty-five  thousand  miles  of  railroad,  they 
would  naturally  experience  much  anxiety.  This  was 
naturally  increased  by  the  receipt  of  another  telegram 
from  Kansas  City,  Missouri,  March  6,  at  3:00  p.  m., 
addressed  to  Messrs.  Arthur  and  Sargent:  "  All  the 
roads  centering  here  have  broken  agreement  with  our 
comm  ittee  of  engineers  and  firemen.  Are  waiting 
your  answer.     Local  Committee." 

To  this  the  grand  chief  answered:  "Send  your 
committee  here  at  once." 


THE  STRIKE,  IN  CONGRESS  AND  IN  COURT.  3OI 

Union  meetings  were  being  held  in  Kansas  City, 
composed  of  men  from  the  Union  Pacific ;  Fort  Scott 
&  Gulf;  Atchison  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe;  Chicago, 
Rock  Island  &  Pacific;  Southern  Kansas;  Wabash; 
Western  &  Missouri  Pacific  and  others.  Many  of  the 
chairmen  of  these  lines  were  there,  yet  it  was  hard  to 
tell  what  might  happen,  and  from  that  time  on  the  ex- 
citement among  the  men,  who  visited  headquarters, 
ran  high. 

Beside  these  complications,  the  grand  officers  had 
been  warned  by  their  legal  counsel,  Mr.  Alexander 
Sullivan,  of  the  conspiracy  law  of  Illinois.  Under  that 
law  it  was  supposed  that  the  liberty  of  the  leaders 
would  be  endangered  if  they  should  give  instructions 
for  any  combined  action. 

This  law  reads  as  follows: 

"If  any  two  or  more  persons  conspire  or  agree  to- 
gether, or  the  officers  or  executive  committee  of  any 
society  or  corporation  shall  issue  or  utter  any  circulars 
or  edict,  as  to  the  action  of,  or  instructions  to  its  mem- 
bers, or  any  other  persons,  society,  organization,  or 
corporation,  for  the  purpose  of  establishing  a  so-called 
boycott,  or  black  list,  or  shall  post  or  distribute  any 
written  or  printed  notice  with  malicious  intent  to 
wrongfully  or  wickedly  injure  the  person,  character, 
business,  employment  or  property  of  another,  or  to  ob- 
tain money  or  other  property  b}r  false  pretenses,  or  to 
do  any  illegal  act  injurious  to  the  public  trade,  health, 
morals,  polic}*,  or  administration  of  public  justice,  or  to 
prevent  competition  in  the  letting  of  any  contract  by 
the  state,  or  the  authorities  of  any  county,  city, 
town  or  village,  or  to  induce  any  person  not  to  enter 


302  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

into  such  competition,  or  to  commit  felony,  they  shall 
be  deemed  guilty  of  a  conspiracy,  and  every  such  of- 
fender, whether  as  individual,  or  as  officer,  of  any 
society  or  organization,  and  every  person  convicted  of 
conspiracy  at  common  law,  shall  be  imprisoned  in  the 
penitentiary  not  exceeding  five  years,  or  fined  not  ex- 
ceeding $2,000,  or  both. 

"if  two  or  more  persons  conspire  to  overthrow  the 
existing  order  of  society,  by  force  or  violence,  or  to 
bring  about  local  revolutions  by  force,  or  to  destroy, 
or  resist,  or  overcome  the  local  authorities,  all  such 
persons  shall  be  guilty  of  conspiracy,  and  be  punished 
accordingly  notwithstanding  the  time  and  place  for 
bringing  about  such  revolution  or  overthrowing  of 
public  order,  or  the  destruction,  or  overcoming  of  such 
authority,  had  not  been  definitely  agreed  upon  by  such 
conspirators,  but  was  left  to  the  exigencies  of  the  time, 
or  the  judgment  of  co-conspirators,  or  some  one  or 
more  of  them. 

"Hereafter,  it  shall  not  be  necessary  in  order  to  es- 
tablish a  conspiracy,  as  aforesaid,  to  prove  that  the 
parties  charged  ever  came  together  and  entered  into 
any  agreement,  combination  or  arrangement,  to  ac- 
complish a  criminal  or  unlawful  purpose,  but  it  shall 
be  sufficient  if  it  appears  that  the  parties  charged^  were 
actually  pursuing,  in  concert,  the  unlawful  purpose, 
whether  acting  separately  or  together,  at  the  same  or 
different  times,  by  the  same  or  different  means,  pro- 
viding that  the  acts  of  each  were  knowingly  tending 
to  the  same  unlawful  result."  ' 

Under  the  restrictions  of  this  law  no  instructions 
could  be  given  from  their  present  headquarters  within 

1  Statutes  of  Illinois. 


THE  STRIKE,  IN  CONGRESS  AND  IN  COURT. 


303 


the  state  of  Illinois,  and  to  obviate  this  difficulty,  it  was 
necessary  to  call  the  men  in  and  have  an    understand- 

ing  of  what  course 
the}-  desired  to  pursue 
within  their  own  states. 
Immediately  following" 
this  came  the  problem 
of  the  Chicago,  Bur- 
lington &  Northern, 
astonishing  the  incred- 
ulous public.  T  h  e 
picture  of  loyalty  and 
unselfishness  manifest 
in  this  move  by  these 
men  was  a  new  and 
startling  vision  of  the 
power  of  organiza- 
tions and  their  read- 
iness to  use  it  in  be- 
half of  their  fellow    man  with  orderly  methods. 


THE    INCREDULOUS. 


21 


CHAPTER   XLIII. 

BURLINGTON    &    NORTHERN    STRIKE. 

The  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Northern  railroad  was 
built  in  1886  in  the  interest  of  the  Burlington  road. 
This  road  connects  with  the  Burlington  system  proper 
at  Oregon,  111.,  and  runs  to  St.  Paul,  a  distance  of  232 
miles.  It  was,  however,  managed  as  a  separate  hold- 
ing, but  as  a  feeder  for  the  Burlington.  The  men  em- 
ployed upon  it  felt  that  they  were  jeopardizing  the 
interests  of  their  striking  Burlington  brothers,  by 
handling  business  directly  in  the  interest  of  the  Bur- 
lington road.  They  were  urged  to  stop  this  traffic. 
In  this  effort  the  committee  called  on  the  officers,  on 
Sunday,  March  4,  and  demanded  that  it  be  stopped  or 
they  would  strike  at  seven  o'clock  the  following  even- 
ing. But  it  is  evident  that  there  was  a  want  of  agree- 
ment among  the  men  as  to  the  necessity  of  such  a 
step,  and  they  afterwards  informed  the  officers  that 
they  would  remain  at  work.  But  the  next  day,  the 
meeting  in  Chicago  of  all  the  chairmen  of  grievance 
committees  having  passed  the  resolution  to  boycott, 
the)-  made  an  effort  again  with  more  unanimity.  The 
engineers  and  firemen  located  at  La  Crosse,  on  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Northern  road,  presented  their 
ultimatum  in  the  following  letter: 

La  Crosse,  Wis.,  March  6,  1888. 

To  General  Superintendent  Barr, 

Chicago,  Burlington  &  Northern  railroad. 


burlington  &  northern  strike.  305 

"Dear  Sir: 

The  engineers  and  firemen  of  your  railroad  com- 
pany respectfully  request  that  after  10  o'clock  a.  m., 
Wednesday,  March  7,  you  do  not  ask  them  to  handle 
any  business,  either  passenger  or  freight,  or  any  con- 
signment in  the  interest  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy  railroad.  Such  a  step  will  not  be  consistent 
with  the  present  good  will  which  exists  between  your 
company  and  its  engineers  and  firemen.''  An  answer 
was  expected  to  this  by  seven  o'clock  the  next  morn- 
ing.1 

On  receiving  this  document,  Mr.  Barr  immediately 
transmitted  it  to  General  Manager  Harris,  of  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Northern,  who  answered  at 
once,  saying:  "It is  useless  to  propose  that  the  Chica- 
go, Burlington  &  Northern  road  surrender  the  con- 
trol of  its  affairs,  or  that  it  be  subjected  to  the  dicta- 
tion of  its  employes.  If  any  of  the  engineers  or  fire- 
men do  not  like  the  company's  method  of  doing  busi- 
ness, give  them  their  time  checks,  and  post  such 
notices  as  you  may  deem  proper  for  the  direction  of 
the  employes."  ' 

A  strike  was  not  what  these  men  wanted.  Their 
pay  was  satisfactory  and  they  only  wished  to  boycott 
the  Burlington,  but  when  they  hesitated  the  second 
time,  pressure  was  brought  to  bear  on  them  from  the 
leaders  in  Chicago,  and  at  10:00  a.  m.,  on  the  8th, 
the  engines  were  abandoned,  except  those  which 
were  on  the  road.  These  were  run  to  the  end  of 
their  divisions,  as  had  been  done  a  week  before  on  the 
Burlington.  -  In  this  move  there  was  an  evident  lack 
of  generalship.     It  is  known  that  the  enginemen    in 

1  Chicago  Tribune. 


306  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

the  vicinity  of  this  line  in  their  eagerness  to  cripple  the 
Burlington  had  clamored  for  this  movement,  yet  the 
leaders  should  have  been  ready  with  definite  plans 
educed  from  mature  deliberation  as  to  the  importance 
of  this  line  to  the  Burlington. 

This  road  belonged  in  part  to  the  Burlington  and 
had  no  outlet  to  the  south  except  the  Burlington,  while 
the  north  end  was  hedged  in  by  the  boycott,  so  that 
they  could  not  have  had  much  business  at  best.  The 
Burlington  was  its  recruiting  ground  for  men  to  take 
their  places  and  when  the  old  men  stepped  down  the 
new  stepped  up.  It  was  a  grand  spectacle  of  loyalty; 
no  doubt  the  leaders  believed  it  was  necessary,  and  all 
were  readv  with  all  the  power  they  possessed,  and  by 
any  sacrifice,  to  help  the  cause.  But  the  result  was 
more  disastrous  than  beneficial,  because  every  step  of 
this  kind,  which  did  not  carry  with  it  success,  weak- 
ened hundreds  of  other  men  whose  loyalty  and  co-op- 
eration were  essential  to  success.  General  Manager 
Harris  had  stated  his  position;  that  the  only  result  of  a 
demand  to  boycott  would  be  that  the  men  would 
lose  their  places.  A  boycott  to  the  Chicago,  Burling- 
ton &  Northern  meant  the  suspension  of  business  en- 
tirely, and  there  was  consequently  no  choice  for  Mr. 
Harris. 

The  wisdom  of  making  the  demand,  in  view  of  that 
road's  surroundings,  is  at  this  distance  very  doubtful 
and  can  onlv  be  measured  bv  the  result.  Every  fail- 
ure  of  success,  in  whatever  method  or  direction  made, 
was  far-reaching  in  its  effect.  When  we  remember 
that  there  was  no  power  to  compel,  but  every  man 
was  his  own  master,  and  that  each  voted  to  do,  or  not 


BURLINGTON    &    NORTHERN    STRIKE.  307 

to  do,  we  can  appreciate  the  damage  done  by  the 
weakening  influence  it  exercised  on  those  already- 
weak,  and  the  effect  upon  other  lines  in  producing 
that  lack  of  harmony  so  essential  to  success. 

The  movement  in  the  direction  of  a  general  boycott 
called  forth  unpleasant  criticism  in  the  newspapers, 
and  caused  the  following  circular  letter  to  be  sent  out 
from  the  strikers'  headquarters. 

"To  the  public:  Owing  to  the  reports  that  are  be- 
ing circulated  in  regard  to  the  attitude  of  the  locomo- 
tive engineers  in  the  present  strike,  and  there  being  a 
tendency  on  the  part  of  the  press  to  endorse  the  stand 
taken  by  the  railroad  company,  we  deem  it  necessary 
in  our  own  behalf  to  state  that  the  two  organizations 
which  are  engaged  in  the  present  trouble  are  com- 
posed of  conservative  men,  and  they  are  ready  and 
willing  now,  and  have  ever  been,  to  meet  the  officers 
of  the  Burlington  railroad  and  arbitrate  the  questions 
in  dispute.  The  Brotherhoods  are  not  only  willing  to  do 
this  through  their  executive  officers,  but  are  also  will- 
ing to  place  the  whole  matter  in  the  hands  of  three 
railroad  managers  and  abide  by  their  decision. 

"Now,  in  all  candor,  we  would  ask  any  honest, 
thinking  citizen,  whether  the  organizations  mentioned 
can  do  more  and  maintain  their  constitutional  privi- 
leges? If  this  trouble  shall  continue,  and  the  public  at 
large  shall  suffer  on  account  of  the  same,  the  blame 
must  rest  where  it  belongs,  and  that  is  upon  the  par- 
ties who  refuse  to  arbitrate." 

(Signed)      The  Brotherhoods. 

In  an  interview  with  a  Tribune  reporter,  Mr.  Ar- 
thur said:  ';  We  will  meet  Mr.  Perkins  or  Mr.   Stone 


308  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

half  way,"  and  when  asked  what  he  would  consider  a 
fair  arbitration  committee,  said,  "  Any  three  general 
managers  of  the  roads  running  out  of  Chicago.  I 
mention  railroad  men  because  they  understand  the 
situation  better  than  any  one  else,  and  I  agree,  on  be- 
half of  the  Brotherhood,  to  abide  by  the  decision  of 
such  an  arbitration  committee."  ' 

On  this  subject  Mr.  Paul  Morton,  for  the  Burlington 
said:  "There  is  considerable  talk  about  arbitration, 
but  it  all  comes  from  men  outside  of  our  employ,  who 
evidently  desire  to  go  to  work  again.  These  men 
can  return  to  work  when  they  accede  to  our  terms." ' 
The  extent  of  the  strike,  che  feeling  and  activity 
displayed  by  the  strikers  and  all  those  in  sympathy, 
portended  insurmountable  difficulties  to  railroads  and 
to  commerce,  and  they  called  forth  many  articles  on 
arbitration.  The  Aurora  Daily  Ex-press  said:  "The 
present  condition  of  things  cannot  last  long  in  this 
country.  The  public,  through  whose  consent  such 
corporations  are  organized  and  permitted  to  exist,  have 
rights  which  must  be  respected.  The  railroads  should 
be,  by  law,  compelled  to  arbitrate  when  honest  differ- 
ences arise  between  them  and  their  employes.  This 
can  be  done  quietly  and  without  a  suspension  of  busi- 
ness. The  great  body  of  working  men  in  this  country, 
thanks  to  the  best  government  under  the  sun,  are  very 
intelligent  and  law  abiding,  and  would  accept  such  de- 
cision. The  railroad  companies,  if  they  want  the 
candid  judgment  of  the  public,  must  learn  to  respect 
the  rights  of  the  people,  and  to  obey  the  law.  The*se 
are  things  to  which  they  pay  very  little  attention 
where  they  affect  their  interests  unfavorably."  ' 

1  Chicago  Tribune. 


BURLINGTON    &    NORTHERN    STRIKE.  309 

The  Creston  Advertiser  believes  that  "In  the  main 
the  principles  for  which  the  Brotherhoods  are  striving 
are  just  and  equitable,  and  hopes  that  by  concessions 
or  compromise  on  conditions  of  lesr  importance,  they 
gain  the  abolishment  of  the  classification  system,  which 
is  the  cause  of  so  many  evils  and  so  much  injustice  in 
the  service,  and  that  the  mileage  system  may  be  estab- 
lished as  the  most  equitable  manner  of  compensation. 
If  the  mileage  asked  for  is  too  high,  surely  there  should 
be  no  trouble  in  coming  to  a  compromise  basis  by  ar- 
bitration. The  side  that  refuses  to  submit  to  this 
means  of  settlement  for  the  benefit  of  the  public,  should 
be  visited  by  the  merited  condemnation  of  the 
people/' 

The  strike  and  kindred  topics  were  fruitful  and 
frequent  subjects  of  discussion  in  all  the  leading  periodi- 
cals of  the  country,  but  the  Burlington,  regardless  of 
any  interest  or  of  public  opinion,  bent  upon  gratifying 
their  own  magnified  official  powers  and  rights,  worked 
under  the  motto:  -;  Rule  or  ruin;"'  and,  to  drive  other 
roads  into  the  right,  went  into  court.  Mr.  Morton's 
assistant,  Mr.  Wakely,  said:  "  The  Burlington  will  at 
once  institute  legal  proceedings  to  force  other  roads  to 
receive  and  forward  freight.  It  is  claimed  upon  good 
authority  that  several  of  the  roads  now  hesitating  about 
handling  Burlington  freight,  are  only  waiting  for  an 
order  from  the  court  compelling  them  to  do  so.  Such 
an  order  would  give  them  an  excuse  which  the  strikers 
could  hardly  afford  to  ignore.  In  the  event  of  a  gen- 
eral strike  following  this  enforced  acceptance  of  the 
Burlington  freight  by  the  competing  roads,  that  corn- 
pan  v  would  have  far  the  best  of  it.      A  general  strike 


3IO  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

would  completely  paralyze  the  through  freight  traffic, 
but  this  would  cut  little  figure  with  the  Burlington.  It 
is  now  in  a  position  to  handle  an  immense  amount  of 
business  and  is  waiting  for  that  business.  A  general 
strike  would  mass  upon  this  road  the  entire  local  freight 
of  six  states. 

* 

"It  would  be  impossible  for  any  of  the  great  roads, 
like  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul,  Rock  Island 
&  Pacific,  or  the  Wabash,  to  fill  all  the  places  of  their 
engineers  for  weeks,  perhaps  for  months  to  come. 
During  all  this  time  the  Burlington  would  be  in  do- 
er, and  would  regain  all  that  it  had  lost.  This  is  why 
the  Burlington  officials,  from  President  Perkins  down, 
smile,  when  told  that  a  general  strike  is  possible." 

Mr.  Paul  Morton  was  asked:  "In  case  of  a  general 
strike  being  ordered,  would  any  influence  brought  to 
bear  upon  their  road  by  these  companies  crippled  by 
such  a  strike,  have  the  effect  of  forcing  you  to  concede 
to  the  demands  of  the  strikers,  or  cause  you  to  accept 
a  compromise?"  He  replied;  "No,  Sir:  most  em- 
phatically, no."  ' 

1  Chicago  Tribune. 


n 

> 

7. 


CHAPTER  XLIV. 

THE    BURLINGTON    IN    COURT. 

To  enforce  the  policy  which  the  Burlington  had 
adopted  towards  other  roads,  action  was  brought 
against  the  Wabash,  St.  Louis  ,&  Pacific,  in  Judge 
Gresham's  court  to  which  General  John  NcNulta  as  re- 
ceiver of  the  Wabash,  owes  his  authority.  "Interven- 
ing petitions  were  tiled  in  the  names  of  Charles  11. 
Beers,  the  lumberman,  etal.,and  D.  E.  Richardson  the 
grain  man,  who  has  an  elevator  at  the  intersection  of 
the  Burlington  tracks  and  Western  avenue.  Specific 
incidents  are  mentioned  in  each,  but  the  relief  sought 
by  both  is  identical.  Judge  Gresham  was  asked  to  re- 
quire Receiver  McNulta  to  handle  the  freight  of  the 
Burlington,  and  if  it  be  found  that  his  failure  to  do  so 
thus  far  has  been  the  result  of  an  improper  influence 
by  Chief  Arthur  of  the  Brotherhood  of  Engineers, 
that  he  be  ordered  to  show  cause  why  he  should  not 
be  punished  for  contempt  of  court,  in  interfering  with 
the  management  and  operation  of  the  railroad  in  the 
control  of  the  United  States  court.  General  Manager 
Stone  made  the  allegations  on  behalf  of  the  petitioners 
through  Mr.  Wirt  Dexter,  solicitor  of  the  Burlington 
company.  Then  follows  a  long  recitation  of  the  com- 
plaint. The  fifth  paragraph  of  the  petition  says,  that 
"the  refusal  of  the  agent  was  due  to  the  direct  orders 
of  the  receiver,  and  that  when  the  receiver  was  called 
upon  for  a  reason  for  his  action,  he  said  it  was  because 


^12  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 


0 


his  men  had  threatened  to  strike  if  asked  to  haul 
Burlington  cars.  This  refusal  of  the  receiver  to 
handle  Burlington  freight  is  described  as  an  unusual 
discrimination,  and  Chief  Arthur  as  the  head  of  the 
Brotherhood,  is  alleged  to  have  brought  about  the 
receiver's  action  by  duress.  Under  the  prevailing  cir- 
cumstances it  is  alleged  that  the  Wabash  road  is  de- 
prived of  a  large  source  of  revenue,  and  its  employes 
made  liable  to  line  and  imprisonment  for  wanton  and 
malicious  discrimination  against  the  property  of  the 
petitioners.  Judge  Gresham  looked  over  the 
papers  and  thereupon  made  an  order  as  follows: 
'  Come  now  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  rail- 
road company,  and  D.  E.  Richardson  by  their  solici- 
tors, and  present  their  petition  to  the  court,  praying  for 
an  order  of  the  court,  requiring  the  receiver  of  the 
court  appointed  herein,  and  his  agents,  officers,  and 
employes,  to  perform  his  duties  as  a  public  carrier,  as 
respects  traffic  with  such  petitioner,  and  also  for  an 
order,  restraining  the  association  commonly  called  the 
Brotherhood  of  Locomotive  Engineers,  and  its  officers, 
and  agents,  and  especially  one  P.  M.  Arthur,  its  chief 
executive  officer,  as  charged  in  said  petition,  from,  in 
any  way,  giving  any  orders  to  the  engineers  in  the  em- 
ploy of  the  receiver  for  them  to  refuse  to  haul  loaded 
cars  coming  to,  or  going  from,  the  railroad  in  charge 
of  said  receiver  in  usual  business  interchange  with  the 
said  petition's  corporation,  and  also  praying  for  an 
order  to  punish  the  said  Arthur  for  contempt  of  court, 
in  unlawfully  interfering  with  the  administration  of  the 
property  in  the  custody  of  the  court  in  this  cause.' ' 
The  case  was  set  for  March  9,  at  2  p.  m. 

cago  Tribune. 


THE    BURLINGTON    IN    COURT.  313 

This  action  was  in  reality  an  action  against  the 
Brotherhood,  but  not  being  a  chartered  institution,  it 
could  not  be  held  accountable  only  as  individuals.  The 
action  against  the  Wabash  was  for  the  restraining  of 
the  association,  commonly  called  the  Brotherhood  of 
Locomotive  Engineers,  its  officers  and  agents,  and 
especially  one  P.  M.  Arthur.  When  the  time  set  for 
trial  came,  Judge  Gresham's  court  room  was  crowded 
long  before  the  designated  time,  by  railroad  presidents, 
lawyers,  engineers,  firemen,  and  others  anxious  to 
hear  what  was  to  be  done  on  this  double-barreled 
application  of  the  Burlington  to  compel  the  receiver  of 
the  Wabash  to  handle  Burlington  cars,  and  punish 
Chief  Arthur  for  alleged  orders  to  engineers  not  to 
handle  them.  The  only  way  the  Burlington  could  get 
an  effective  legal  fulcrum  against  the  strikers,  was  to 
get  into  court  on  some  railroad  case.  Other  managers 
were  watching  the  case  closely  to  see  what  bearing  it 
would  have  on  their  interests.  The  sentiment  of  a 
large  number  of  those  present,  including  lawyers, 
seemed  to  be  in  favor  of  the  strikers.  At  2  o'clock 
Judge  Gresham  entered  the  court  room,  followed  by 
the  attorneys,  and  after  taking  his  seat  said: 

"  The  motion  which  was  to  be  argued  this  afternoon, 
will   be    postponed   until   Monday  at  2  o'clock  p.  m." 

The  suddenness  and  brevity  of  the  announcement 
took  every  one  by  surprise,  and  for  several  moments 
no  one  realized  that  the  case  which  had  been  put  off 
was  the  matter  of  the  great  Burlington  strike. 

The  crowd  remained  in  the  hall  for  an  hour  or 
more  discussing  the  situation,  and  it  was  noticeable 
that  the  adherents    of  the  Burlington  road  were  few- 


314  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

The  complaints  were  filed  under  the  national  inter- 
state commerce  law  and  the  United  States  court  could 
hardly  fail  to  sustain  it.  Judge  Gresham,  in  his  decis- 
ion on  Monday,  said :  "  Although  the  property  of  the 
Wabash  company  is  in  the  custody  of  the  court,  it  is 
operated  by  the  receiver  as  a  common  carrier.  His 
rights  and  duties  are  those  of  a  carrier.  He  is  bound 
to  afford  to  all  railroad  companies  whose  lines  connect 
with  his  road,  equal  facilities  for  the  exchangeof  traffic. 
It  is  his  duty  to  receive  from,  and  deliver  to  other  con- 
necting roads  both  loaded  and  empty  cars.  He  cannot 
discriminate  against  one  road  by  maintaining  a  policy 
of  non-intercourse  with  it.  More  need  not  be  said  on 
this  question  as  the  receiver  has  wisely  rescinded  the 
instructions  which  discriminate  against  the  petitioner, 
and  he  has  no  purpose  or  desire  to  deny  the  petitioner 
any  of  his  legal  rights.  Although  the  petitioner  has 
accomplished  his  chief  purpose  in  invoking  the  aid  of 
the  court,  it  is  urged  by  the  counsel  that  persons 
belonging  to  the  Brotherhood  of  Locomotive  Engi- 
neers, and  especially  one  P.  M.  Arthur,  its  chief  offi- 
cer, have  interfered  with  the  receiver,  and  his  subordi- 
nates, in  the  management  of  the  Wabash  property, 
and  that  they  should  be  punished  for  their  illegal  and 
contumacious  conduct.  The  receiver  and  his  counsel 
make  no  such  complaint,  on  the  contrary,  the  receiver 
declares  that  there  has  been  no  such  interference  with 
him. 

"For  the  present  it  is  sufficient  to  say  that  the  court 
will  protect  the  property  of  the  Wabash  company,  in 
its  custody.  The  employes  of  the  receiver  cannot  be 
obliged  to  remain  in  the  service  against  their  will,  but 


THE  BURLINGTON  IN  COURT.  315 

neither  they,  nor  others,  will  be  permitted  to  interfere 
with  or  disturb  the  receiver  or  his  subordinates  in  the 
possession  and  operation  of  the  property  in  his  custo- 
dy. Lawless  interference  with  the  receiver  and  his 
employes  in  the  discharge  of  their  duty  will  not  be 
tolerated." 

"  It  is  proper  to  state,  however,  in  justice  to  the 
Wabash  engineers,  that  they  do  not  desire  to  maintain 
an  attitude  of  defiance  to  the  law,  and  that  thev  are 
willing  to  aid  the  receiver  in  the  lawful  and  successful 
administration  of  his  trust.  The  receiver's  answer 
renders  it  unnecessary  for  the  court  to  do  more  than 
direct  that  the  petition  remain  on  file  for  future  action 
should  there  be  occasion."  1  The  Burlington  company 
was  not  well  satisfied  with  the  scope  of  'this  decision. 
They  wanted  to  get  some  one  into  jail  or  into  other 
trouble.  The  Burlington's  solicitor,  Wirt  Dexter,  said: 
"  Its  all  right.  The  Wabash  has  resumed  traffic 
with  us.  The  court  has  placed  the  petition  on  file 
which  leaves  it  open  for  us  to  come  in  again  in  case  of 
any  future  trouble." 

Alexander  Sullivan,  for  the  Brotherhood,  said:  "Its 
the  only  decision  the  court  could  have  rendered.  The 
court's  declaration  against  lawless  interference  or  inter- 
vention is  in  harmony  with  the  doctrines  of  the 
Brotherhood,  and  will  meet  with  their  approval. 
There  had  been  no  such  interference  and  there  would 
be  none  by  the  Brotherhood.  The  court  .properly 
lays  down  the  doctrine  that  no  man  can  be  compelled 
to  work  for  less  wages  than  he  is  willing  to  accept.  It 
is  on  a  line  with  the  Illinois  statute,  and,  what  is  greater, 
the  constitutional  amendment  abolishing  slavery."  ' 

1  Chicago  Tribune. 


3l6  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

This  line  of  action  was  followed  up  closely  by  the 
Burlington,  and,  in  a  similar  case  against  the  Belt 
Line,  of  Chicago,  it  made  the  charges  more  specific 
against  the  enginemen,  charging  "that  the  Brother- 
hood of  Locomotive  Engineers,  or  their  officers,  have 
secretly  resolved  to  carry  out  a  boycott  against  com- 
plainant for  the  illegal  purpose  of  injuring  the  Bur- 
lington's business.  It  charges  them  with  unlawful 
conspiracy,  and  asks  for  an  injunction  against  the  un- 
known members  of  the  Brotherhood  whose  names  are 
to  be  inserted  when  discovered." 

The  Burlington  was  feeling  somewhat  elated  over 
this  new  move  which  they  expected  would  do  so 
much  for  them.  Many  of  the  officials  of  other  roads 
thought  that  if  a  decision  was  rendered  by  Judge 
Gresham,  favoring  the  Burlington,  the  engineers 
would  not  dare  ignore  its  condition  on  any  other  road 
'and  that  the  strike  would  be  ended  in  a  week.  But 
it  will  be  seen  that  these  officers,  as  well  as  those  of 
the  Burlington,  were  greatly  mistaken.  General 
Manager  Stone  was  made  to  realize  that  coercion 
would  not  work  with  all  men,  and  that  some  of  the 
others  managers  thought  they  had  interests  that 
should  not  be  subordinated  to  the  Burlington. 

The  Chicago,  Rock  Island  and  Pacific,  having 
refused  to  take  Burlington  traffic,  Mr.  Stone,  in  order 
to  get  a  basis  for  legal  proceedings  against  that  road 
wrote  the  following  letter: 

Chicago,  March  8,  1888. 

Mr.  E.  St.  John,   General  Manager  Chicago,   Rock 
Island  &  Pacific  railroad. 


the  burlington  in  court.  317 

Dear  Sir- 

I  enclose  copy  of  telegram  which  has  been  re- 
ceived here  from  Rock  Island,  saving  that  both  the 
Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific,  and  the  Peoria  and 
Rock  Island  roads  decline  to  do  business  with  us.  I 
cannot  suppose  that  this  is  by  any  authority  from 
headquarters,  and  I  write  to  ask  you  to  tell  me  the 
facts,  and  the  reasons  if  there  are  any,  for  the  alleged 
refusal.  If  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  has 
done  anything  to  justify  such  an  attitude  of  non-inter- 
course, I  shall  be  glad  to  know  what  it  is.1 

Yours  Truly, 

H.  B.  Stone." 

The  answer  to  this  from  Mr.  St.  John,  must  have 
made  Mr.  Stone  feel  in  some  doubt  about  the  sweep- 
ing success  anticipated  in  their  appeal  to  the  court — 
to  save  us  if  you  kill  all  the  rest.  Mr.  St.  John  had,  on 
the  6th  inst.,  made  answer  to  a  like  communication  in 
the  following: 

Chicago,  March  6,  1888. 

H.  B.  Stone,  General  Manager,  Chicago,  Burlington 
Quincy  railroad  companv. 

Dear  Sir: 

"  I  have  your  favor  of  March  6,  and  must  state  in 
reply,  that  I  am  surprised  that  your  company  in  the 
present  condition  of  things,  should  insist  or  even  sug- 
gest, that  the  Rock  Island,  or  any  of  its  adjuncts, 
should  receive  freight  from,  or  deliver  freight  to  your 
company  until  a  better  condition  of  things  exists.  To 
do  so  would  jeopardize  our  entire  interest,  and 
this  at  this    moment  we  are  not  willing  to  do.       Our 

lChicMj;o  'Tribune. 


3l8  THE    BURLINGTON"    STRIKE. 

position  is  not  different  from  that  occupied  by  other 
Chicago  lines,  and  you  should  have,  I  think,  no  feeling 
concerning  such  action  on  your  part,  which  is  only  one 
of  self  protection.  You  may  be  assured  that  the 
Rock  Island  is  always  glad  to  aid  the  Chicago,  Bur- 
lington &  Quincy  when  it  can  do  so  without  getting 
itself  into  serious  trouble.  Our  past  action  is  proof  of 
this  as  you  well  know.  We  believe  it  to  be  equally 
in  your  interest  as  well  as  ours,  that  the  position 
we  and  others  assume,  should,  for  the  present  at 
least,  be  maintained.*' 

Respectfully. 

E.  St.  John,  General  Manager. 

On  receipt  of  Mr.  Stone's  second  letter  of  the  8th, 
Mr.  St.  John,  in  his  answer  savs:  "  That  there  may  be 
no  misunderstanding  as  to  the  position  of  the  Chicago, 
Rock  Island  &  Pacific  company  in  regard  to  exchange 
of  traffic  with  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy 
railroad  company,  I  desire  to-  add  to  my  hastily 
written  note  of  the  6th  inst..  the  following: 

"  This  company  is  willing  to  perform  all  duties  im- 
posed upon  it  by  law  as  common  carriers,  and  will  do 
so  when  able.  It  will  not  refuse  to  perform  such 
ies  to  all  because  it  is  rendered,  by  circumstances 
for  which  it  is  not  responsible,  unable  to  perform  them 
as  to  one.  It  will  not  suspend  the  operation  as  to  its 
entire  line,  and  inflict  incalculable  injury  upon  the  com- 
munities dependent  upon  itfor  transportation,  because 
circumstances  render  it  impossible  for  it  to  exchange 
traffic  with  another  railroad  company.  The  engineers 
and  firemen  positively  refuse  to  handle  freight  received 
from,   or    delivered    to    your    road.     We    have    done 


THE    BURLINGTON    IN    COURT.  319 

nothing  to  induce  this  resolution.  To  discharge  them 
would  not  enable  us  to  exchange  with  you,  while  it 
would  render  it  impossible  to  carry  for  anybody 
else."' 

"We  occupy  no  attitude  of  non-intercourse,  but  do 
refuse  to  injure  all  of  our  patrons  because  we  cannot 
help  you.  I  cannot  see  how  bringing  about  a  general 
suspension  of  the  operations  of  railways  in  the  west, 
can  aid  you  in  your  present  struggle,  while  I  can  see 
that  it  would  work  great  injury  to  the  country.  We 
are  not  willing  to  attempt  the  impossible,  with  the 
knowledge  that  the  attempt  will  injure  many  and  bene- 
fit none."1  Respectfully  Yours, 

E.  St.  John. 

For  once,  Mr.  Morton,  the  Burlington's  news  dis- 
penser, was  obliged  to  hold  himself  in.  Upon  being 
respectfully  touched  by  the  pencil  of  a  reporter, 
"Comment  upon  such  a  document  is  unnecessary,"  said 
Mr.  Morton,  "  and  it  is  hardly  right  for  me  to  express 
an  opinion  upon  the  sentiments  contained  in  that  let- 
ter. I  will  say  that  under  no  circumstances  would 
such  a  letter  have  emanated  from  this  office."  But 
their  harrowed  feelings  found  great  solace  in  the  re- 
straining order  of  one  Judge  Dundy,  of  Nebraska,  on 
March  9. 

The  Chicago,  Burlington  and  Quincy  railroad  by 
its  solicitors,  C.  G.  Green  and  T.  M.  Marquette,  coun- 
sel, filed  in  the  United  States  court,  and  immediately 
had  submitted  to  Judge  Dundy,  a  bill  in  equity 
against  the  Union  Pacific,  its  officers  and  employes, 
praying  for  an  injunction  restraining  them  from  refus- 
ing to  handle  the  traffic  of  the  Burlington  on  the  Un- 

1  Chicago  Tribune. 


320  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

ion  Pacific  lines,  also  restraining  the  engineers  of  the 
Union  Pacific  from  striking,  or  confederating  to  or- 
ganize a  strike,  to  force  the  Burlington  to  accede  to 
the  demands  of  the  strikers,  and  from  discharging  the 
men  now  employed.  In  Judge  Dundy  they  found  a 
man  who  came  very  near  doing  what  they  wanted 
him  to  do.  We  extract  from  Judge  Dundy's  restrain- 
ing order  the  following  passages: 

"That  you  each  and  everyone  of  you,  do  absolutely 
desist  and  refrain  from  striking,  combining,  or  confed- 
erating, for  the  purpose  of  organizing  or  assisting  a 
strike,  and  from  doing  any  other  act  or  thing,  and 
from  refusing  to  perform  any  other  act  or  thing  in 
carrying  out  your  unlawful,  unjust  and  wicked  purpose, 
through  your  unlawful,  unjust  and  wicked  combina- 
tion, connivance,  and  conspiracy,  either  as  individuals 
or  as  members  of  the  Brotherhood  of  Locomotive 
Engineers."' ' 

The  Burlington  officials  mixed  this  morsel  of  good 
cheer  with  their  utter  contempt  for  managers  who  had 
refused  to  jeopardize  their  own  interest  to  help  the 
Burlington.  Yet  regardless  of  this  order,  "the  Union 
Pacific;  x\tchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe;  Denver  & 
Rio  Crande  and  Midland  railroads  were  not  handling 
Burlington  business,  and  it  was  intimated  that  they  did 
not  intend  to."  l  The  strikers  and  the  Union  Pacific 
enginemen  were  somewhat  concerned  about  this  order, 
but  the  Union  Pacific  men  said  the  court  could  not 
force  them  to  touch  the  Burlington  cars,  and  if  it  was 
demanded  they  would  quit. 

The  Union  Pacific  men  employed  General  Cowin 
as  their  legal  adviser,  and  at  the  trial  in  behalf  of  his 

1  Chicago  Daily  News. 


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THE    BURLINGTON"    IN    COURT.  32 1 

clients,  the  engineers,  General  Cowin  contended 
"  that  the  bill  was  tiled  against  them  bv  the  Burling- 
ton and  Missouri  railroad,  as  a  part  and  parcel  of  a 
plan  to  compel  them  to  work  in  direct  opposition  to 
their  wishes  for  the  purpose  of  aiding  them,  the  com- 
plainants, in  their  fight  with  the  Brotherhood  of  Loco- 
motive Engineers.  As  a  naked  proposition  of  law, 
he  submitted  as  a  question  of  common  sense,  that 
there  is  no  law  to  compel  men  to  work  when  they 
desire  to  quit,  and  that  alone  seems  to  be  the  object 
of  the  bill." 

Then  said  the  court,  "  If  that  be  the  sole  object,  this 
case  has  no  business  here.  I  shall  never  order  a  man 
to  work  against  his  will  by  injunction." 

During  General  Cowin's  argument,  the  word  strike 
was  used  several  times  as  it  had  been  in  the  bill,  which 
provoked  the  following  comment  from  the  court: 
"This  word  strike  is  of  modern  origin;  the  question  is 
regarding  its  legal  definition  and  on  that  this  case  may 
turn.  If  it  means,  and  it  can  be  shown  that  its  mean- 
ing in  this  case  is,  a  project  to  kick  up  the  devil  gen- 
erally, derail  cars  and  ditch  trains,  then  this  court  can 
order  a  writ  of  injunction  to  restrain  the  injury  con- 
templated as  a  measure  of  contemplative  justice,  and 
the  charge  of  conspiracy  is  well  taken.  If,  on  the 
other  hand,  the  word  in  this  case  is  synonvmous  with 
an  intention  of  quitting  work,  and  quietly  walking  out, 
I  don't  see  how  this  court  is  going  to  restrain  this 
action."  l 

J.  M.  Thurston,  for  the  Union  Pacific  road,  averred 
in  part,  "  that  the  greatest  rivalry  had  always  existed 
between  the  two  roads.     Much  of  their  revenue  was 

1  Chicago  Tribune. 


322  THE  BURLINGTON  STRIKE. 

derived  from  the  same  sources,  and  the  Burlington 
road  had  never  lost  an  opportunity  in  competition,  to 
further  its  interest  at  the  expense  of  the  Union  Pacific; 
that  the  Union  Pacific  recognized  its  obligations  under 
the  law,  and  had  ordered  its  men  to  handle  the  traffic 
of  the  Burlington,  and  when  the  men  refused  such 
orders,  they  were  taken  suddenly  ill  with  an  epidemic 
which,  for  want  of  a  better  name,  was  known  as  the 
"  Q  colic,  "  and  refused  to  obey  the  orders.  If  the 
company  persist  in  the  demand  under  the  law  and  the 
men  quit  the  great  corporation,  the  Union  Pacific 
would  have  to  cease  operations  because  of  its  inability 
to  supply  their  places."2  The  Burlington  contended, 
"  that  where  the  common  action  of  a  bod}-  of  men 
tended  to  produce  the  same  result  by  the  same  com- 
mon means,  controlled  by  the  same  power,  and  the 
object  was  to  damage  and  injure  any  single  individual, 
or  corporation,  it  was  the  duty  of  the  court  to  restrain 
such  action." ' 

judge  Dundy  gave  as  his  decision  that  "  the  engi- 
neers on  the  Union  Pacific  have  the  right  to  quit  work 
when  they  please,  but  they  have  not  the  right  to  enter 
into  a  conspiracy,  and  by  concerted  action  suddenly 
leave  the  Union  Pacific  road  without  engineers, 
when  the  purpose  of  the  conspiracy  is  to  prevent  the 
Union  Pacific  road  from  exchanging  freight  with  the 
Burlington  as  by  inter-state  commerce  law  it  is  re- 
quired to  do.  Against  such  action  the  court  will  en- 
join. Neither  have  the  engineers  the  right  to  refuse 
to  pull  Burlington  cars,  and  such  refusal  would  subject 
them  to  imprisonment.  The  Union  Pacific  is  the 
creation    of    congress.     It    bears    the    national    birth 

'  Chicago  Daily  News.  * 


THE    BURLINGTON    IN    COURT.  323 

marks  upon  it.  Congress  has  distinctly  enacted  that 
its  officers,  agents  and  operatives,  must  at  all  times  ex- 
change with,  and  handle  freight  of  certain  intersecting 
lines,  among  them  the  Burlington  &  Missouri,  and  has 
made  refusal  a  misdemeanor,  punishable  by  a  fine  of 
not  less  than  $1,000,  and  imprisonment  not  less  than 
six  months  on  conviction. '" 

Regardless  of  this  decision,  which  appeared  to  be 
so  full  of  danger  to  the  liberties  of  the  Union  Pacific 
men,  under  the  guidance  of  their  chairman,  G.  W. 
Vroman  they  continued  to  have  "Q"  colic  and  were  the 
last  in  the  whole  circle  of  the  boycott  to  get  well,  and 
the  Burlington  officials  were  made  to  realize  that  the 
"  bold  bluff  game"  woukteot  down  bv  the  decision  of 
Judge  Dundy. 

To  add  to  all  these  combinations  and  difficulties  that 
beset  the  leaders  of  the  strike  in  Chicago,  there  came 
—in  addition  to  a  great  multitude  from  all  parts  of  the 
country,  who  were  eager  to  learn  something,  or  advise 
or  assist  as  the  case  might  be — a  faction  who  organ- 
ized themselves  into  an  advisory  board,  something  not 
warranted  by  the  laws  of  the  engineers  and  evidently 
not  desired  by  the  grand  officers.  However  it  is 
reasonable  to  suppose  they  were  actuated  by  the  best 
of  motives,  yet  with  mature  deliberation  these  men 
must  have  seen  that  an  advisory  board,  whether  legal- 
ly constituted  or  not,  must  have  some  influence,  pre- 
sumed or  real,  with  other  men,  and  unless  they  were 
guided  in  their  every  act  by  the  grand  officers,  whom 
their  name  implied  that  they  represented,  they  must 
do  much  harm.  The  newspapers  said  some  of  them 
were  there  under  the  pay  of  the  companies  for  whom 

1  Chicago  TriTmne. 


324  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE* 

they  worked.1 

From  the  best  information  obtainable  this  board 
held  meetings  and  adopted  plans  for  their  own  guid- 
ance, exercised  an  influence  over  the  grand  officers, 
meeting  with  them  and  doing  divers  things.  They 
were  not,  like  the  staff  of  a  general,  responsible  to 
him,  and  subject  to  his  final  decision,  but  as  individ- 
uals, representing  fractional  interests,  in  the  interest  of 
one  road  instead  of  the  whole.  In  forming  this  body 
these  men  laid  themselves  liable  to  grave  suspicion  of 
looking  after  their  own  interest,  instead  of  the  com- 
mon good.  However  good  their  intentions  might 
ha\  e  been,  it  is  certain  the  influence  exercised  by 
them  as  a  whole,  was  harmful. 

No  man  can  serve  faithfully  one  interest,  and  be  paid 
by  another.  He  may  honestly  think  his  interest  and 
the  common  interest  of  the  engineers  and  firemen  are 
identical  with  the  company  whom  they  serve.  This 
is  the  right  principal  in  peace,  but  not  in  war,  and 
much  of  the  lack  of  harmony  among  all,  emanated 
from  a  lack  of  harmony  of  opinion  among  the  advisory 
board,  as  they  termed  it.  Many  things  were  laid  at 
their  door,  perhaps  unjustly,  yet  their  assumed  position 
made  them  a  target  for  charges  made  later,  of  a  grave 
nature. 

The  Burlington  management  issued  the  following 
bulletin  order  to  conductors:  "  As  we  are  going  to 
open  up  our  business,  and  will  discontinue  the  running 
of  pilots,  we  will  expect  you  or  one  of  your  brakemen 
to  show  the  new  engineer  the  road  when  necessary." 
This  obliged  the  brakemen  to  pilot  and  assist  the  new 
men.     The  grand  officers  of  the  strikers,  having  been 

1  Chicago  Tribune. 


THE    BURLINGTON    IN    COURT.  325 

assured  of  Mr.  Wilkinson's  good  will,  that  gentleman 
was  invited  to  headquarters,  to  which  he  immediately 
responded,  and  after  consultation  he  was  requested  to 
go  over  the  road  and  instruct  all  concerned  that  no 
member  of  the  brakemen's  order  would  be  allowed  to 
do  anything  but  his  legitimate  business  and  to  do  no 
piloting.  He  visited  all  the  terminal  points  on  the 
Burlington  system,  and  did  all  he  could  to  prevent  any 
special  services  being  rendered  to  the  company  out- 
side of  their  regular  duties.  The  Burlington  had 
manned  every  engine  with  a  pilot  to  keep  their  new 
men  out  of  trouble,  but  it  was  expensive,  and  they 
thought  to  do  away  with  it  by  having  the  conductor  or 
brakeman  ride  on  the  engine  and  still  keep  them  out 
of  trouble.  The  Burlington  officials  evidently  expect- 
ed much  from  the  conductors  in  piloting,  and  compet- 
ing the  brakemen  to  do  the  same.  They  no  doubt, 
based  their  assurance  upon  an  understanding  with 
Messrs.  Belknap  and  Cross,  employes  of  the  Burling- 
ton, who  issued  a  circular  March  10,  which  was 
sanctioned  by  the  chief  officer  of  that  order,  Grand 
Chief  Conductor,  C.  S.  Wheaton.  An  extract  from 
the  circular  reads  as  folio ws : 

"The  railroad  officials  commenced  Sunday  afternoon, 
February  26,  to  clean  up  the  line,  and  Sunday  night 
saw  all  freights  abandoned  as  fast  as  engineers  and 
firemen  refused  to  go  out.  Loyal  employes  stepped 
on  their  engines,  and  the  result  was  that  passenger 
trains  continued  to  run  from  that  day  to  this.  Con- 
ductors and  brakemen,  with  scarcely  an  exception  along 
the  whole  line,  tendered  their  services  in  any  capacity 
where  they  could  be  most  useful.     They  ran  engines, 


326  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

fired  engines,  acted  as  pilots,  and  performed  police 
dnty.  All,  whether  members  of  an}-  society  or  not, 
seemed  to  vie  with  each  other  in  showing  their  loyalty 
in  this  time  of  trouble,  and  tendering  their  services  in 
any  capacity  where  needed.  This  full  expression  of 
loyalty  on  the  part  of  the  trainmen  was  far  bevond  the 
most  sanguine  expectation  of  any  of  our  officers. 
While  they  counted  on  some  remaining  firm,  they  were 
not  prepared  to  see  the  loyalty  so  universal,  and  as 
train  after  train  was  taken  from  its  starting  to  destina- 
tion in  safety  and  nearly  on  time,  by  faithful  men,  they 
could  not  find  words  to  express  their  approval  of  our 
acts,  and  we  are  satisfied  that  they  will  express  their 
feelings  in  a  very  substantial  way  when  the  proper 
time  comes."  There  is  much  more  to  this  circular, 
but  this  extract  embodies  the  essence  of  it.  This 
brought  a  reply  from  the  Brakemen's  Journal,  which 
places  the  circular  in  its  right  light: 

"The  above  statement  is  a  lie  out  of  a  whole  cloth, 
so  far  as  it  pertains  to  the  brakemen,  and  no  one 
knows  it  better  than  Messrs.  Belknap,  Cross  and 
Wheaton.  The  brakemen  preserved  a  strict  neutrali- 
ty, and  took  no  part  in  this  strike.  They  performed 
their  usual  duties  promptly  and  faithfully,  but  did  not 
take  the  place  of  the  strikers,  as  stated  in  the  circular. 

"The  action  of  the  brakemen  on  the  Burlington  is 
endorsed  by  our  Brotherhood  everywhere,  by  the  Lo- 
comotive Brotherhoods,  and  by  the  Burlington  offic- 
ials. They  adopted  a  manly  course  and  behaved  like 
men,  and  not  like  the  fawning  sycophants  who,  lost  to 
all  sense  of  manhood  and  honor,  tried  to  currv  favor 
by  offering  their  services  in    any    capacity,    mauy   of 


THE    BURLINGTON    IN    COURT.  327 

them  giving  up  good  positions  on  other  roads  thous- 
ands of  miles  away,  to  come  and  defeat  the  engineers 
and  firemen  on  the  Burlington." 

The  pilots  were  mostly  conductors  who  knew  the 
road,  and  smash-ups  had  been  few  owing  to  this  pre- 
caution. But  the  engines  had  suffered.  Many  of 
their  engines  had  been  very  badly  burned,  although 
the  officials  denied  thai  such  was  the  fact.  I  am  per- 
sonally knowing  to  a  case  where  the  flue  sheet  was 
pulled  away  from  the  crown  sheet  until  your  hand 
would  go  into  the  space.  It  was  stated  on  good 
authority,  that  a  large  number  suffered  from  this 
cause:  but  the  Burlington  seemed  to  care  nothing  for 
cost.  They  were  not,  however,  opening  up  their 
interchange  of  business,  as  they  had  hoped  would  be 
the  case.  From  the  legal  proceedings,  nearly  all  the 
lines  held  their  doors  closed  against  the  Burlington. 

Meetings  were  being  held  in  Kansas  City,  attended 
by  men  from  all  roads  centering  there,  watching  the 
situation.  At  East  St.  Louis,  March  n,  Division  49 
held  a  meeting  attended  by  some  200,  and  it  was  de- 
cided not  to  handle  Burlington  cars.  The  Missouri 
and  Pacific  men  had  the  "colic"  at  the  sight  of  a  Bur- 
lington car  as  bad  as  did  the  men  of  the  Union  Pacific. 
In  fact,  at  any  time  from  March  1  to  March  15,  from 
all  indications  of  the  temper  of  the  enginemen  through- 
out the  country,  almost  every  western  roa&  could 
have  been  stopped  at  the  word  of  command.  Had  the 
leaders  of  the  brotherhoods  adopted  the  same  course 
as  that  chosen  by  the  Burlington,  i.  e.,  "  rule  or  ruin," 
and  had  similarly  violated  their  own  laws,  and  been 
equally  indifferent  to  public  weal  or  woe,  there  would 


328  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

have  been  one  of  the  greatest  strikes  in  the  annals 
of  history.  The  strike  on  the  Burlington  system,  as 
it  was  conducted,  would  have  been  but  a  drop  in  the 
wave  of  business  disaster. 

But  instead  of  crowding  the  issue,  destroying  prop- 
ertv,  and  violating  their  own  laws,  as  it  was  so  freely 
charged  they  would  do,  they  followed  a  conservative 
policy  that  prevented  general  disaster,  preserved 
their  self  respect  and  forestalled  defeat.  When  the 
grievance  men  came  to  Chicago  and  passed  resolu- 
tions to  boycott,  in  order  to  carry  out  the  conditions, 
they  must  go  home  to  their  respective  roads,  call 
their  committee  together,  vote  to  sustain  or  not  sus- 
tain its  conditions;  if  sustained  by  the  home  vote,  they 
must  wait  on  the  home  officers,  and  ask  them  to  com- 
ply with  the  boycott  and  so  prevent  trouble.  This 
considerate  method  was  carried  out  in  every  case. 

If  the  strikers  had  been  indifferent  to  the  public 
good,  and  had  used  such  means  as  were  at  their  com- 
mand on  March  6,  it  is  reasonable  to  say  that  they 
could  have  stopped  every  connecting  line  west  and 
south  of  the  Burlington,  and  a  majority  of  those  run- 
ning east.  But  they  commenced  the  strike  b}*'  leaving 
the  Burlington  engines  at  terminal  points,  in  good  or 
der:they  persuaded,  hired,  and  bought  awa}-  the  new 
men.  It  had  failed  to  keep  the  Burlington  from  fi- 
nally, in  some  manner,  manning  their  engines.  The 
next  best  means,  and  the  least  injurious  to  the  public, 
was  the  boycott.  The  power  of  the  boycott  was 
killed,  so  far  as  compelling  a  settlement  was  con- 
cerned, by  conservatism  in  the  use  of  that  power. 
The  resort  to  a  boycott  can  be  successful  onlv  when 


THE    BURLINGTON    IN    COURT.  329 

it  is  entered  upon  with  unanimity,  and  pursued  vigor- 
ously and  regardless  of  consequences.  There  was 
evidently  a  lack  of  harmony  in  the  opinion  of  the  men 
as  to  the  necessities  of  the  situation.  Thomas  Jeffer- 
son said :  "  Every  difference  of  opinion  is  not  a  differ- 
ence of  principle."  They  were  united  in  defending 
their  principles,  but  differed  as  to  the  means.  One 
policy  should  have  been  adopted  and  adhered  to  with 
the  firmness  of  the  signers  of  the  declaration  of  inde- 
pendence. Said  one  of  the  members,  "  We  must  all 
hang  together  in  this  business."  "  Yes,"  said  Benjamin 
Franklin,  "  we  must  all  hang  together  or  most  assured- 
ly we  will  all  hang  singly." 

The  decision  of  Judge  Gresham  on  March  12  had 
opened  the  Wabash  to  the  Burlington.  The  judge 
said:  "  The  Wabash  engineers  do  not  desire  to  main- 
tain an  attitude  of  defiance  to  the  law,  that  they 
are  willing  to  aid  the  receiver  in  the  lawful  and  sue- 
cessful  administration  of  his  trust."  In  war,  a  break 
in  the  line  could  be  closed  up,  but  in  this  case  it  must 
stand  so  long  as  the  men  themselves  would  not  form 
the  line.  This  had  two  results:  first,  a  tendency  to 
weaken  others,  who  by  this  time  had  time  to  weigh  in 
the  balance  their  own  interests  with  the  common 
interest,  and  with  man}-,  self-interest  is  found  to  out- 
weigh the  other,  and  such  as  these  held  up  the  deci- 
sion of  Judge  Gresham,  and  withdrew  active  support. 
Second,  the  vivid  impression  of  the  conspiracy  law 
and  the  specified  effort  to  find  some  means  by  which 
the  grand  officers  could  be  held  accountable  under 
legal  process,  caused  them  to  transfer  the  active  con- 
trol of  the  strike  to  the  local    committees,    the    direct 


33°  T1IE    BURLINGTON"    STRIKE. 

result  of  which  was  the  strike  of  the  Atchison,  Tope- 
ka  &  Santa  Fe,  on  March  15. 

A  committee  of  engineers  and  firemen  of  the  Atchi- 
son, Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  had  waited  on  the  managers 
of  that  road  on  March  8  and  9.  The  object  was  to 
solicit  them  not  to  handle  Burlington  freight,  assur- 
ing them  that  the  best  of  feeling  existed  between  the 
company  and  the  employes,  but  that  they  wished 
to  assist  their  friends,  the  strikers  on  the  Burlington, 
and  that  they  should  refuse  to  handle  Burlington  bus- 
iness after  Sunday  morning,  March  11.  It  was  not 
their  intention  to  strike,  but  each  man  would  act  for 
himself.  "The  officers  assured  the  grievance  commit- 
tee that  they  could  not  expect  that  the  company  would 
act  in  violation  of  the  laws  of  the  United  States,  that 
they  would  lay  their  notice  before  the  board  of  direct- 
ors for  their  consideration,  pending  which  it  was  pre- 
sumed that  no  action  would  be  taken  by  the  engi- 
neers. The  officers  of  the  road  said  further  that  from 
that  time  on,  in  no  instance  was  any  engineer, 
against  his  wishes,  asked  to  handle  anv  train  contain- 
ing Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  cars."  '  While  the 
engineers  and  firemen,  on  the  contrary,  claimed  they 
were  trying  to  aid  the  Burlington. 

There  seemed  to  be  a  combination  of  circumstances 
at  Kansas  City  that  caused  feeling  to  run  high,  and 
the  moderation  so  prevalent  elsewhere  was  wanting  at 
this  point.  The  Burlington  owns  the  ground  and  yard 
surrounding  the  Union  depot,  where  the  trains  of  near- 
ly all  the  roads  centering  at  Kansas  City  come  in  and 
go  out  of  one  depot.  This  brought  together  men 
from    the    Union  Pacific:  Missouri  Pacific:  Atchison, 

1  Chicago  Daily  News. 


THE    BURLINGTON    IN    COURT.  331 

Topeka  &  Santa  Fe;  Wabash;  Fort  Scott  &  Gulf: 
Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific,  and  man)-  other  lines 
of  less  importance,  to  meet  with  the  strikers. 

The  direct  connection  of  freight  traffic  of  all  tin :se 
roads  with  the  Burlington  yard  kept  the  men  busy 
watching  all  the^ outlets.  Every  encroachment  upon 
the  boycott  was  magnified  by  one  after  another  of  the 
men  congregated  there,  who  were  not  committee  men, 
and  consequently  not  held  responsible  for  the  influence 
they  exercised.  It  was  unavoidable  that  the  mature 
deliberation,  so  necessary  to  unity  of  action,  became 
impossible;  besides,  the  Fort  Scott  &  Gulf  and  the 
Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  were  both  Boston 
interests,  and  holders  of  stock  in  these  roads  were 
stockholders  in  the  Burlington,  which  created  an  an- 
tipathy against  them,  the  men  believing — from  the 
known  pecuniary  interest  of  these  roads — that  they 
were  making  special  effort  to  help  out  the  Burlington. 
The  Union  Pacific  is  another  Boston  interest,  but  a 
Burlington  car  made  thirty  engineers  suddenly  sick  on 
the  morning  of  the  fourteenth  at  Omaha.  At  Council 
Bluffs  the  "  colic  ;"  was  raging,  because  there  were 
Burlington  cars  in  the  trains  as  made  up.  Judge 
Dundy's  restraining  order  had  no  terror  for  them. 
The  heat  of  the  battle  seemed  for  the  time  to  be  trans- 
ferred from  Chicago  to  the  south  and  west. 

An  Associated  Press  reporter  went  over  the  Bur- 
lington line  from  Chicago  to  Kansas  City,  visiting 
Aurora,  Mendota,  Galesburg,  Burlington,  Chariton, 
Creston  and  Kansas  City.  The  object  being  to  ascer- 
tain the  true  state  of  affairs  on  the  Burlington  system. 
Not  only  were  the  meetings  of  the  brotherhood  men 
23 


332  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

visited  by  him,  but  at  each  point  the  railroad  officials 
were  seen.  As  nearly  as  one  could  judge  from  the 
evidence  of  both  sides,  "the  Burlington  system  was  do- 
ing from  40  to  50  per  cent  of  the  business  which  it  did 
before  the  strike.  At  every  point  mentioned  passen- 
ger trains  were  from  one  to  six  hours-late.  In  regard 
to  the  freight  business  each  division  superintendent 
that  was  seen  frankly  stated  that  the  road  was  doing 
much  less  business  than  before  the  strike.  They  said 
that  there  were  no  cattle  carried  over  the  road,  except 
where  the  company  had  bought  the  cattle  in  the  pens. 
Freight  trains,  where  they  were  formerly  made  up  of 
about  thirty  cars,  were  then  composed  of  from  nine  to 
twenty.  In  some  instances  engines  drawing  way  cars 
were  sent  out  and  counted  as  trains.  While  they  did 
not  express  themselves  in  sympathy  with  the  strikers, 
they  did  say  they  wished  that  the  old  hands  were  back 
at  the  throttle.  "  ! 

The  brotherhood  men  were  making  strenuous  efforts 
to  decrease  even  this  small  showing.  The  progress 
of  the  Burlington,  added  to  the  court  proceedings,  made 
many  fear  for  the  future  of  the  brotherhoods,  if  the 
battle  wa's  lost.  The  railroad  officials  no  doubt  hoped, 
and  the  brotherhoods  feared,  that  failure  would  be  a 
Waterloo  to  these  institutions,  that  a  retrograde  move- 
ment would  be  demanded  by  other  companies.  This 
feelino-  created  a  radical  sentiment,  especially  among 
the  western  men. 

It  was  charged  that  freight  was  being  transferred 
at  Kansas  City,  from  Burlington  cars  into  Atchison, 
Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  cars,  by  teams  drawing  it  some- 
distance.     This  was  taken  for  bad  faith  on  the  Dart  of 

1  Associated  Press  report. 


THE  BURLINGTON  IN  COURT.  333 

the  company,  and  no  doubt  caused  the  following: 

Kansas  City,  Mo.,  March  15,  1888. 
"J.  F.  Goddard,  general  manager,  Atchison,  Tope- 
ka  &  Santa  Fe. 

Topeka,  Kansas,: 

•  Engineers  and  firemen  of  the  Santa  Fe  system 
will  quit  at  4  o'clock  p.  m. 

J.  Conroe,  Chairman."  ' 

On  receipt  of  this,  Manager  Goddard  sent  the  fol- 
lowing: 

J.  Conroe,    chairman  grievance  committee,  Atchi- 
son, Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  Railway. 

Kansas  City: 

At  3 :  50  this  afternoon  I  received  your  telegram, 
notifying  me  that  the  engineers  and  firemen  whom  you 
represent  would  quit  at  4  o'clock  to-day.  As  we  have 
faithfully  kept  every  written  and  verbal  agreement 
made  with  }-our  organization,  your  action  is  a  surprise, 
and  I  would  be  glad  to  know  on  what  it  is  taken. 
Also,  do  you  intend  that  it  shall  cover  passenger  train 
service  as  well  as  freight?  ' 

Mr.  Conroe  sent  to  Grand  Chief  Arthur  a  telegram 

stating,    "  Engineers  and  firemen  are  satisfied  that  the 

Santa  Fe  did  not  remain  neutral,   and   sav  they  were 

justified  in  this  move."     Answer 

J.  Conroe. 

No  one  expected  this  move,  and  the  strike  of  the 
engineers  and  firemen  on  the  Atchison,  Topeka  & 
Santa  Fe  road  was  the  exciting  topic  at  the  strikers' 
headquarters.  From  all  the  reports  received  it  was 
ascertained   that  this  strike  carried  out  about    1,300 

1  Associated  Press  report. 


334  THE  BURLINGTON  STRIKE. 

engineers  and  a  corresponding  number  of  firemen. 
The  Santa  Fe  men  appeared  to  be  determined  to  stand 
out,  although  no  specific  cause  of  grievance  could  be 
discovered.  Chief  Arthur  was  completely  taken  by- 
surprise  at  the  announcement  of  the  strike,  and  sent  a 
telegram  to  the  chairman,  Mr.  Conroe,  to  come  to 
Chicago  immediately. 

Mr.  Arthur  was  inclined  to  think  that  some  subor- 
dinate officer  had  attempted  to  compel  the  men  to 
handle  Burlington  freight  and  had  thus  precipitated  a 
strike  which  he  had  -been  most  anxious  to  avoid.  And 
he  said  that  if  the  men  have  struck  without  cause  they 
have  done  wrong. 

Interviews  with  a  number  of  the  striking  engineers 
of  the  Santa  Fe  road,  developed  the  fact  that  they  had 
examined  the  list  of  stockholders  on  the  Chicago,  Bur- 
lington &  Quincy,  and  the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa 
Fe,  and  found  that  a  considerable  number  of  the  Santa 
Fe  stockholders  are  also  largely  interested  in  the 
.  Burlington.  The  Fort  Scott  &  Gulf  stockholders 
were  also  interested  in  the  Burlington.  The  engine- 
men  had  no  grievance  with  the  Santa  Fe,  but  they 
would  rest  until  the  Burlington  road  should  come  to 
terms  with  its  employes. 

Much  having  been  said  by  the  press  about  the  men 
giving  the  Santa  Fe  only  thirty  minutes  notice, 
one  of  the  old  engineers  said:  "  Now,  that's  all  wrong. 
Our  committee  had  been  urging  the  company  every 
day,  since  we  found  that  they  were  smuggling  Bur- 
lington freight  into  the  cars,  to  stop  it.  The  com- 
mittee called  on  Mr.  Goddard  no  less  than  three  times 
and    told   him    the  company  was  handling  Burlington 


THE    BURLINGTON    IN    COURT.  335 

freight  and  that  the  men  would  not  stand  it.  He  gave 
us  no  satisfaction.  The  Santa  Fe  has  not  acted  fairly 
with  us."  ' 

The  extent  of  the  Santa  Fe  road  and  its  branches  is 
nearly  7000  miles,  on  which  were  employed  seven 
hundred  engineers  and  a  like  number  of  firemen,  and 
2.800  trainmen.  It  is  said  there  was  standing  along 
the  line  1,200  cars  of  merchandise.  Many  officials 
who  had  been  watching  this  great  sympathy  strike  at 
Chicago,  were  transferred  to  Kansas  City,  with  noth- 
ing to  do  but  watch  developments.  The  grievance 
committeemen  from  all  the  roads  were  there,  and 
everything  had  the  appearance  of  a  general  strike  of 
all  southwestern  roads.  The  men  of  the  Fort  Scott 
and  Gulf  had  contemplated  going  out  on  the  same 
day.  or  soon  after  the  Santa  Fe,  but  the  men  on  that 
line  were  apparently  not  a  unit.  Without  the  sanc- 
tion of  their  grand  officers,  the  chairman  of  that  sys- 
tem had  gone  to  Chicago  to  see  the  grand  chief  and 
enter  his  complaints,  and  this  prevented  any  extension 
of  the  strike. 

Although  the  Santa  Fe  strike  was  ill  advised,  it 
was  one  of  the  most  astonishing  exhibitions  of  good 
will  towards  their  fellow  men  that  the  world  has  ever 
seen,  when  we  remember  that  they  take  no  obligation 
that  compels  obedience  to  command,  and  that  a  strike 
of  this  kind  could  not  be  inaugurated  only  by  the  indiv- 
idual  consent  of  each  one,  and  in  this  case  they  were 
spread  out  over  7,000  miles  of  territory,  and  as  one 
met  the  other  and  told  the  news,  their  places  were  in- 
stantly vacated,  all  alike,  actuated  by  the  same  senti- 
ment.    It  is  our  brother  in  trouble;  let  us  do  whatever 

1  Chicago  Daily  News. 


33^  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

we  can  to  help  him  out  of  it.  What  a  picture  of  un- 
selfish devotion!  and  what  a  comparison  between  these 
men  who  forgot  self  in  their  anxiety  for  their  brothers, 
and  that  mass  of  selfishness,  incompetency  and  drunk- 
enness, that  had  with  in  the  last  two  weeks  been  poured 
into  the  vacancies  of  the  Burlington. 

"  On  the  morning  of  the  16th  of  March,  at  Kansas 
City,  not  a  wheel  was  turning  except  a  few  switch 
engines.  The  engineers  and  firemen  persisted  in  sav- 
ing they  had  received  no  orders  to  strike;  they  were 
simply  tired  and  wanted  rest.  The  Union  depot  pre- 
sented a  regular  castle  garden  appearance,  as  though 
hundreds  of  emigrants  had  been  brought  in  whose 
destination  was  somewhere  on  the  Santa  Fe.  Two 
hundred  of  them  were  crowded  into  the  emigrant 
room,  and  there  were  new  accessions  hourly."  ! 

At  11 :20  a.  m.,  the  foreman  of  the  Santa  Fe  round- 
house, at  Argentine,  backed  an  engine  up  to  the  Union 
depot  and  coupled  on  to  train  No.  3,  which  was  the 
through  California  express.  Ben  Horton,  who  had 
been  an  engineer  on  the  Santa  Fe  road  for  ten  years, 
mounted  the  engine.  He  was  not  a  Brotherhood  man, 
having  been  expelled  from  that  organization  during  the 
strike  of  i877-  He  afterwards  applied  for  re-admis- 
sion, but  was  rejected. 

"A  sensation  was  created  in  the  crowd  that  surround- 
ed the  engine,  by  the  appearance  of  Horton's  wife, 
who  pushed  her  way  through  and  was  assisted  to  a 
seat  by  her  husband,  when  she  declared  her  intention 
of  acting  as  fireman  on  the  trip.  She  covered  her 
clothing  with  a  rubber  ulster  while  a  fireman's  cap  set 
jauntily    on    her    black  hair."2     Before    starting,    the 

1  Kansas  City  Journal.         'Associated  Press  report. 


THE    BURLINGTON    IN    COURT.  337 

enginemen  made  an  effort  to  induce  Horton  not  to  go, 
offering  him  money,  but  the  wife,  the  would-be  fire- 
man, is  said  to  have  been  armed  with  a  revolver,  and 
compelled,  her  liege  lord  to  stay  at  his  post.  This 
woman  who  went  out  as  fireman  was  formerly  Hattie 
Reed,  of  Kewanee,  111.  During  the  strike  of  1877  s^ie 
acted  as  fireman  for  her  husband  from  Galesbursr  to 
Burlington.  The  news  gatherers  gave  her  consider- 
able notoriety,  but  the  reader  will  probably  make  his 
own  estimate  ot  this  exception  to  the  timiditv  of  the 
gentler  sex. 

Callers  were  kept  busy  hunting  the  city  over  for 
engineers  and  firemen,  but  they  kept  out  of  the  way. 
The  Kansas  City  Journal  said: 

"  Two  weeks  ago  a  traveling  printer  was  dropped 
from  the  "fournal  sub-list.  To-night  he  showed  up 
at  the  office  with  two  revolvers  strapped  on  his  person, 
and  with  an  engineer's  book,  etc.,  showing  him  to 
be  a  full  fledged  Burlington  engineer.  His  experience 
is  two  years  in  a  machine  shop.  He  was  loaned  to  the 
Santa  Fe  and  goes  out  to-night  for  one  week's  work. 
He  has  had  two  accidents.'',  This  young  man  is  one 
of  those  '  competent  men '  of  whom  Officer  A.  C. 
Dawes,  of  the  Kansas  City,  St,  Joseph  &  Council 
Bluffs  road  said:  "  In  no  instance  has  there  been  a 
high  grade  engineer  displaced  to  make  room  for  a  low 
grade,"  yet  this  man  or  boy,  was  pulling  passenger 
trains  on  that  road  when  Mr.  Dawes  gave  this  inform- 
ation to  the  public.  "  The  Santa  Fe  did  not  seem 
anxious  to  make  use  of  such  material,  and  preferred 
to  wait  before  adding  the  evils  which  follow  the  em- 
ployment of  scabs  to  those  which  already  beset   them. 


33§  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

'  The  general  superintendent  received  many  applica- 
tions for  situations  as  engineers,  but  no  new  men  were 
engaged.'  "] 

The  situation  was  hourly  becoming  more  complica- 
ted; the  lack  of  concerted  action  was  apparent. 
Leaders  were  wanting  who  could  command  a  view  of 
the  whole  situation,  with  power  to  guide,  and  formu- 
late plans  for  the  action  of  this  great  army  of  engine- 
men.  The}-  were  like  a  ship  at  sea  without  a  rudder. 
The  laws  of  the  Brotherhoods  had  not  been  made 
with  powers  centered  in  the  leaders.  They  could 
only  advise  and  consent,  and  with  the  grand  officers 
located  within  the  scope  of  the  Illinois  conspiracy  law, 
that  advice  must  be  of  a  peaceful  nature.  The  Santa  Fe 
was  out.  The  Fort  Scott  &  Gulf  was  on  the  balance, 
and  were  to  have  -followed  the  Santa  Fe  at  four 
o'clock  the  same  dav,  but  the  chairmen  of  the  griev- 
ance  committee  of  that  system  requested  that  positive 
action  be  deferred.  The  general  manager  expected  it 
to  go  at  any  moment. 

At  Marshalltown,  Iowa,  the  Central  Iowa  enginemen 
notified  Receiver  Dudley  that  they  would  not  handle 
Burlington  cars.  "  The  receiver  said  that  his  duty 
under  the  law  was  plain,  and  that  he  should  insist  on 
its  enforcement.  He  therefore  declined  to  allow  any 
cars  delivered  to  him  to  be  set  out  of  trains,  and  at  5 
o'clock  he  ordered  the  machine  shops  closed,  and  all 
employes  in  the  shops,  roundhouses,  offices,  and  all 
along  the  road,  laid  off,  except  enough  to  look  after 
the  passenger  service."2  This  virtually  tied  up  the 
Central  of  Iowa.  Like  notices  were  sent  to  the  rail- 
road officials  at  Jeffersonville,  Indiana,  and  to  Chatta- 

1  Kansas  City  Journal.         ?  Chicago  Tribune. 


THE    BURLINGTON    IN    COURT.  339 

nooga,  Tenn. ;  at  the  same  time  the  Ohio  and  Mississipi 
w  as  making  an  effort  to  have  the  Burlington  business 
boycotted. 

While  these  efforts  were  being  made  by  separate 
systems  guided  by  their  own  feelings,  the  Fort 
Scott  road,  situated  by  the  side  of  the  Santa  Fe,  "made 
no  secret  of  the  fact  that  it  handled  all  the  freight  sent 
to  it  by  the  Burlington.'"  '  In  an  interview  with  Vice- 
President  C.  W.  Smith  of  the  Santa  Fe,  "he  ad- 
mitted that  several  of  the  stockholders  of  the  Burling- 
ton, including  Malcom  B.  Forbes,  and  President  Per- 
kins of  the  Burlington,  were  large  holders  of  the  stock 
in  the  Santa  Fe,  but  he  did  not  consider  that  fact  suffi- 
cient grounds  for  a  strike  on  the  Santa  Fe.''  Yet  that 
knowledge  was  without  doubt  what  actuated  the  San- 
ta Fe  men  in  pursuing  the  radical  course  they  did.  It 
was  a  combined  action  of  individuals,  each  actuated  by 
one  sentiment,  to  help  their  brothers  of  the  Burling- 
ton. Mr.  Conroe,  chairman  of  the  grievance  commit- 
tee, was  called  to  Topeka  by  Governor  Martin  where 
he  met  with  the  Governor  and  railroad  commissioners 
of  the  state  of  Kansas.  "Governor  Martin  asked  Mr. 
Conroe  to  state  the  case  of  the  engineers.  He  said 
they  had  no  grievance  against  the  Santa  Fe,  but  the 
Burlington  men  could  not  hope  to  win  so  long  as  the 
Santa  Fe  hauled  Burlington  freight,  which  he  claimed 
the  road  had  been  doing."  2 

At  the  request  of  the  Governor,  Mr.  Conroe  and 
the  board  of  commissioners,  held  a  conference  with 
general  manager  Goddard,  of  the  Santa  Fe,  in  the 
hope  that  an  understanding  might  be  reached  but  the 
conference  resulted  in  nothing.     Mr.  Conroe    denied 

'  Chicago  Journal.         *  Kansas  City  Journal. 


340  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

having  ordered  the  strike  and  said  it  was  the  individ- 
ual  action  of  the  men.  They  had  considered  the  mat- 
ter carefully  at  their  lodges  and  had  decided  to  strike, 
therefore  neither  he  nor  Mr.  Arthur  could  order  it  off, 
until  the  strikers  gained  their  point.  He  was  not  an- 
tagonizing Mr.  Arthur  but  things  were  in  such  shape 
that  he  could  not  comply  with  Mr.  Arthur's  directions. 
Governor  Martin,  speaking  of  Mr.  Conroe,  said:  "  My 
interview  with  him  leads'  me  to  believe  that  he  is  a 
conservative,  level  headed,  intelligent  man.  He  talks 
sensibly  upon  the  situation,  and  believes  he  is  acting 
with  the  best  interests  of  the  men  he  represents.  I 
would  take  him  to  be  a  man  well  informed  upon  gen- 
eral business  affairs,  and  not  a  man  who  desires  to 
gain  notoriety  as  an   agitator."  ! 

Mr.  Conroe  and  the  Santa  Fe  men  held  their  ground 
manfully.  It  was  purely  a  sympathy  strike  and  their 
position  was  a  trying  one.  Manager  Goddard  had 
issued  a  circular  letter  on  the  17th,  covering  the  ground 
of  complaint  and  stated  that  the  company  had  decided 
to  retain  the  services  of  all  the  old  men,  and  would 
give  them  until  the  next  Thursday  to  resume  work. 
The  fairness  and  generosity  of  this  proposition  to  men 
who  had  no  personal  feeling  against  the  officers,  and 
the  failure  of  the  Fort  Scott  men  to  carry  out  their 
part  of  the  presumed  program,  caused  the  men  to  feel 
that  the  strike  was  ill  advised.  Much  has  been  said 
against  Grand  Chief  Arthur  for  requesting  the  Santa 
Fe  men  to  return  to  work,  yet  it  was  the  only  wise 
course  to  pursue.  The  men  could  not  have  main- 
tained their  position,  standing  alone  as  they  were. 
There  must  have  been    a   break,    and   Mr.    Conroe's 

'  Kansas  City  Journal. 


THE    m'RLINGTOX    IN    COURT. 


34r 


official  notice,   issued  at  6  p.  m.,   18th  of  March,  was 
timely  and  judicious. 

Kansas  City,  March  18,   1888. 

To  the  engineers  and  firemen  of  the  Santa  Fe  system: 
"  I  am  advised  by  our  grand  chief  to  request  of  you 
to  return  to  your  respective  positions  at  once.  Furth- 
er that  I  am  to  repair  to  Chicago  and  adjust  all  misunder- 
standings." ' 

I.  CONROE, 

Chairman,  General  Grievance  Committee. 

Mr.  George  Royal,  a  prominent  member  of  the 
Brotherhood,  was  sent  to  Kansas  City  by  Grand  Chief 
Arthur  to  assist  in  bringing  about  this  result  which 
ended  the  strike  on  the  Santa  Fe.  This  strike  was  a 
mistake.  Had  they  adopted  the  Union  Pacific  plan, 
and  had  taken  the  "Q  colic,"  it  is  not  likely  that  they 
would  have  been  discharged,  and  yet  the  doors  would 
have  been  closed  against  the  Burlington,  and  the  chief 
object  would  have  been  attained.  Its  redeeming  qual- 
ities were  that  there  was  no  viciousness,  no  disorder, 
no  hatred  of  the  Santa  Fe  officials,  but  an  unselfish 
devotion  to  their  brothers  on  the  Burlington  that  out- 
weighed all  other  considerations — misconceived,  but 
grand  in  good  fellowship. 

The  Santa  Fe  strike  was  over  and  the  Kansas  City 
lines  began  to  open  to  the  Burlington  business.  This 
caused  the  greatest  dissatisfaction  in  the  south  and 
west,  where  the  men  were  all  loyal  and  walling  to  boy- 
cott, regardless  of  consequences  to  themselves,  but 
they  only  saw  a  portion  of  the  field.  They  could 
maintain  their  ground  without  sacrificing  many  of  their 

1   Kansas  City  Journal. 


342  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE.. 

positions,  but  the  situation  was  not  as  propitious  else- 
where. 

We  find  the  Central  Iowa  road  still  in  trouble.  The 
engineers  out  on  this  road  only  numbered  sixty-five, 
and  a  like  number  of  firemen,  but  this  number  suspt 
ed  operations  for  nine  hundred  other  employes,  and 
the  receiver  on  the  19th,  issued  the  following  notice: 
"  All  engineers  and  firemen  who  fail  to  report  for 
duty  at  8:00  a.  m.,  Tuesday,  March  20,  reach  and 
willing  to  haul  any  and  all  cars  that  may  be  put  on 
trains,  will  be  discharged  from  the  service."  '  The 
machine  shops,  car  shops,  roundhouses,  and  prrt  of 
the  general  offices  had  been  closed  in  pursuance  of  his 
previous  order.  It  was  not  easy  to  dissuade  men  who 
had  taken  a  voluntary  stand  in  the  process  of  the  bov- 
cott,  but  on  the  20th  this  strike  was  brought  to  a  close 
through  a  five  hour  conference  between  Receiver 
Dudley,  a  member  of  the  court,  and  six  representatives 
of  the  Brotherhood.  The  Burlington,  Cedar  Rapids, 
&  Northern  was  pushed  into  line  bv  a  decision  in  Judge 
Love's  court,  under  the  inter- state  law.  and  the  strike 
was  again  closed  on  the  Burlington,  and  the  attention 
again  turned  towards  Chicago. 

1  Chicago  Dailv  News. 


CHAPTER  XLV. 

ANOTHER    CLOUD    RISING. 

Owing  to  the  many  and  grave  complications  that 
were  continually  arising,  that  were  absolutely  beyond 
the  control  of  the  grand  officers,  located,  as  they  were, 
within  the  limits  of  the  conspiracy  law  of  Illinois,  it 
is  evident  they  lost  faith  in  the  power  to  compel  a 
settlement  upon  the  original  conditions  asked,  and  at 
their  suggestion  Chairmen  Hoge  and  Murphy  made 
another  effort,  on  March  10.  They  left  their  pride 
behind  and  waited  upon  President  Perkins  and  Gen- 
eral Manager  Stone,  when  it  was  proposed  that  the  men 
be  allowred  to  go  back  to  work  on  the  old  terms,  with 
the  question  of  increase  to  be  decided  upon  by  amica- 
ble agreement  thereafter,  but  they  did  not  arrive  at 
any  satisfactory  conclusion.  The  Burlington  officials 
declined  to  negotiate  with  them  upon  an)-  terms  but 
absolute  surrender. 

When  the  embargo  was  raised  on  the  Santa  Fe 
there  was  great  indignation  expressed  by  members  of 
the  Brotherhood,  against  the  grand  officers,  for  being 
instrumental  in  accomplishing  it.  Thomas  Jefferson 
said,  "When  right,  I  shall  often  be  thought  wrong  by 
those  whose  positions  will  not  command  a  view  of  the 
whole  ground;"  so  in  this  case,  could  all  have  seen  the 
situation  as  it  really  was  the  strike  would  not  have 
lasted  another  day,  but  they  could  not,  and  the  Bur- 
lington   strikers   along   the   line   were   holding    their 


344  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

ground  as  tenaciously  as  on  the  first  day.  Letters 
were  being  received  from  all  over  the  country  encour- 
aging them  to  stand  firm.  Every  local  point  along 
the  line  had  a  correspondence  committee,  and  more 
than  fifty  letters  were  received  and  as  many  sent  out. 
It  was  a  mode  of  feeling  the  pulse  of  all  the  men 
along  the  line,  and  the  social  and  encouraging  nature 
of  the  letters  kept  up  the  animation  and  good  feeling, 
and  furnished  the  panacea  that  kept  away  ennui  and 
disgust. 

Laboring  men  of  all  creeds,  seeing  the  two  most 
powerful  organizations  extant  roughly  handled  by 
centralized  capital,  began  to  see  the  danger  to  them- 
selves, and  buried  much  of  the  feeling  that  was  so 
patent  at  the  beginning  of  the  strike,  which  had  been 
engendered  mostly  by  the  engineers'  policy  of  "no  en- 
tangling alliances."  Amalgamation  among  diversified 
labor  brings  as  many  difficulties  as  do  entangling  alli- 
ances among  nations.  But  an  alliance  which  contem- 
plates federated  good  fellowship,  has  become  essential 
to  the  welfare  of  labor,  and  the  strike  so  far  had 
brought  vividly  to  the  minds  of  laboring  men  gener- 
ally, the  necessity  of  some  concerted  action  that  would 
equalize  their,  power,  and  make  them  able  to  success- 
fully maintain  their  right,  endangered  by  corporate 
power.  The  following  is  the  result  of  this  feeling, 
adopted  by  the  Union  Pacific  employes: 

ARTICLES    OF    FEDERATION. 

BETWEEN     THE    BROTHERHOOD   OF   LOCOMOTIVE   ENGINEERS,    BROTHER- 
HOOD   OF    LOCOMOTIVE    FIREMEN,    AND    THE     KNIGHTS     OF 
LABOR,  EMPLOYES  OF   THE  UNION  PACIFIC   RAILWAY. 

The    Brotherhood    of    Locomotive  Engineers,    the 


ANOTHER    CLOUD    RISING.  345 

Brotherhood  of  Locomotive  Firemen  employed  by  the 
Union  Pacific  Railway,  and  the  Knights  of  Labor  em- 
ployes on  the  Union  Pacific  Railway,  of  the  organiza- 
tion known  as  District  Assembly  No.  82,  do  mutually 
agree  to  the  following  Articles  of  Federation,  to 
govern  our  relations  to  the  Union  Pacific  Railway 
Company  and  ourselves : 

First. — Each  organization  shall  retain  fully  its  indi- 
viduality and  govern  fully  its  own  internal  affairs  as 
heretofore;  each  to  have  its  Executive  or  Grievance 
Committee  settle  all  disputes  between  themselves  and 
the  Union  Pacific  Railway  Company  if  possible. 

Second. — There  shall  be  a  Federation  Board  e<>n- 
sisting  of  representatives  of  each  Executive  or  Griev- 
ance Committee  of  each  organization,  on  the  basis  of 
equal  representation  to  the  Brotherhoods  and  the 
Knights  of  Labor. 

Third. — In  case  of  the  Executive  or  Grievance  Com- 
mittee of  either  organization  failing  to  effect  a  settle- 
ment satisfactory  to  them,  they  shall  comply  with  the 
laws  of  their  organization  regarding  grievances  and 
strikes,  and  if  their  action  in  the  matter  receives  the 
endorsement  of  their  organization,  said  grievance  shall 
be  submitted  to  the  Federal  Board  for  final  action. 

Fourth.  —Should  the  Federal  Boards  agree  on  the 
justness  of  the  alleged  grievance  they  shall  at  once 
proceed  to  adjust  the  same. 

Fifth. — The  Federal  Board  failing  to  satisfactorily 
adjust  the  difficulty  they  shall  take  final  action  thereon, 
and  if  thought  best  may  submit  the  same  back  to  their 
various  organizations. 

Sixth. — The  organizations  represented  in  this  agree- 
24 


346  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

ment  mutually  agree  to  do  all  in  their  power  to  build 
up  and  strengthen  each  other  by  influencing  all  persons 
to  become  members  of  the  organizations  representing 
their  trade  or  calling. 

Seventh. — An  expelled  member  of  either  organiza- 
zation  shall  be  ineligible  to  membership  in  any  of  the 
other  organizations  unless  by  the  consent  of  the  organ- 
zation  from  which  he  was  expelled. 

Eighth. — Any  local  misunderstanding  between  the 
organizations  represented  in  this  agreement  shall  be 
adjusted  by  a  joint  committee  representing  each  of  the 
local  organizations. 

Ninth. — Any  differences  arising  between  members 
of  either  of  the  organizations  regarding  alleged  en- 
croachments on  each  others  rights,  either  party  to  the 
alleged  difference  can  call  through  the  local  committee 
of  his  organization,  for  a  conference  of  the  joint  local 
committee  to  settle  the  same. 

Tenth. — Any  difficult}-  that  may  arise  affecting  the 
members  of  either  organization  in  their  just  rights  as 
employes  of  the  Union  Pacific  Railway  Company,  shall 
be  considered  as  comprising  all  matters  to  be  submitted 
to  the  Federated  Boards.  Just  rights  to  be  understood 
as  meaning  the  questions  of  wages,  hours  of  labor 
or  mileage,  the  unjust  discharge  or  discrimination 
against  members,  rules  or  regulations  of  the  Company 
affecting  the  duties,  interests  or  liabilities  of  an  indi- 
vidual member  or  of  all  emploves,  or  any  division, 
trade  or  calling. 

We,  the  undersigned  members  of  a  committee  rep- 
resenting the  organizations  herein  mentioned,  mutually 
agree  to  these  articles  of  federation,  for  our  organiza- 


A.NOTHER    CLOUD    RISIX<;.  3_J_7 

tions  on  the  Union  Pacific  Railway  system,  subject  to  the 
approval  of  the  Chiefs  of  our  several  organizations. 

This  was  signed  by  eighteen  representative  men  of 
the  K.  of  L.,  B.  of  L.  E.,  and  B.  of  L.  F. 

In  an  interview  with  a  reporter,  Mr.  Powderly  said: 
"  Any  differences  which  might  have  been  between  the 
Brotherhood  and  myself  are  at  an  end.  I  have  no 
right  with  any  labor  organization.  I  would  rather 
take  a  blow  from  a  labor  organization  than  give  one. 
Last  Saturday  I  signed  articles  of  agreement  between 
members  of  the  Brotherhoods  of  Engineers  and  Fire- 
men, and  Knights  of  Labor,  employed  on  the  Union 
Pacific  railroad.  They  will  work  together,  and  any- 
thing concerning  their  interests  on  the  road  will  be 
carefully  considered  by  both  sides,  and  all  troubles 
will  be  settled  without  strikes  if  possible."  ' 

The  same  disposition  had  begun  to  manifest  itself 
among  the  switchmen.  They,  as  a  class,  never  had 
any  love  for  a  scab,  and  it  must  have  been  a  trying 
ordeal  for  them  to  work  with  them  as  long  as  they 
did.  An  effort  had  been  made  at  the  beginning  of  the 
strike  to  secure  the  co-operation  of  the  switchmen  and 
brakemen.  "Grand  Master  Wilkinson,  and  Grand 
Secretary  and  Treasurer  Oshea  of  the  brakemen,  and 
Grand  Master  Monoghan  had  expressed  sympathy  and 
a  wish  that  they  could  enter  the  contest,  but  the  past 
policy  of  the  engineers  of  "going  it  alone"  prevented 
any  coalition.  But  after  the  boycott  had  practically 
failed,  another  effort  was  made  and  Grand  Masters 
Monoghan  and  Wilkinson  expressed  a  willingness  to 
make  an  effort.  All  they  required  was  a  pledge  from 
Grand  Chief  Arthur  that  in  case  of  trouble  with  the 

1  Chicago  Tribune. 


348  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

switchmen,  or  brakemen,  that  the  engineers  would 
stand  by  them.  Mr.  Arthur  could  not  do  this,  but 
promised  to  use  his  influence  to  bring  about  co-oper- 
ation at  the  convention.  This  effort,  like  its  prede- 
cessor, failed  from  the  same  cause — lack  of  fraternal 
feeling  between  the  engineers  and  the  other  orders. 
Later  on,  however,  a  better  feeling  was  brought 
about  at  a  meeting  of  the  switchmen  attended  by 
chairman  Hoge  and  other  committeemen.  It  is  rea- 
sonable to  suppose  that  some  pledges  were  made  at 
that.meeting  which  changed  the  attitude  of  the  switch- 
men. At  a  meeting  held  at  Turner  Hall,  composed  of 
engineers,  firemen  and  switchmen,  plans  were  ma- 
tured for  future  action.  Paul  Morton  had  said  on 
March  20:  c;It*s three  strikes  and  out.  Next  Saturdav 
we  shall  start  our  fast  trains  No.  1  and  15,  and  then 
our  road  will  be  in  exactly  the  same  circumstances 
that  it  was  before  the  men  struck."  On  Friday, 
March  23,  appeared  the  following: 

"The  Great  Strike  Is  Over." — "The  Burling- 
ton road  continues  to  run.  It  has  surmounted  its  diffi- 
culties. Its  trains  are  running  on  time.  The  manage- 
ment of  the  road  remains  in  the  hands  of  its  officers. 
The  public  need  have  no  fear.  The  responsibility  for 
its  care  and  comfort  is  fully  assumed  by  the  company. 
The  Burlington  takes  the  lead.  It  was  in  advance  of 
all  other  lines  in  establishing  dining-car  service  on  its 
through  trains.  It  was  in  advance  of  all  other  lines  in 
giving  the  people  of  the  West  their  fast  mail  service. 
It  was  in  advance  of  all  other  lines  in  reducing  the 
time  of  passenger  trains  between  Chicago  and  Mis- 
souri River  points  from  20^   to   15^   hours.     It  has 


ANOTHER    CLOUD    RISING.  349 

been  progressive  in  the  past.  It  will  lead  in  the  fu- 
ture. If  vou  admire  an  institution  that  has  the  cour- 
age of  its  convictions  give  it  your  patronage.  Com- 
mencing Sunday,  March  25th,  '  the  Burlington's 
Number  One'  fast  train  will  leave  Chicago  daily  at 
one  o'clock  p.  m." 

These  trains  had  been  discontinued  since  the  incep- 
tion of  the  strike,  and  they  were  still  destined  to  dis- 
appoint those  who  wished  quick  transit  over  the  Bur- 
lington, as  well  as  the  officials  who  so  loudly  pro- 
claimed the  strike  was  off.  They  were  evidently  not 
prepared  for  the  storm  already  brewing.  The  with- 
drawal of  the  Burlington  switchmen  the  next  day, 
March  24,  caused  the  Burlington  to  announce,  "Ow- 
ing to  further  complications  we  will  not  be  able  to  start 
the  fast  trains  as  advertised."  Business  was  again 
stopped.  The  Burlington  was  obliged  to  inform  its 
connecting  roads  that  they  could  not  receive  business 
from  them. 

The  switchmen  were  notified  that  they  must  return 
to  work  on  Monday,  26th, — Monday  was  blue  Monday 
for  the  Burlington;  it  recalled  the  first  days  of  the 
engineers'  strike.  No  attempt  was  made  in  the  morn- 
ing to  handle  freight,  the  company  ostensibly  hoping 
that  wiser  counsels  would  prevail  and  that  the  switch- 
men would  return  to  work  before  being  locked  out. 
The  limit  given  by  the  company,  one  o'clock,  passed 
without  a  sign  from  the  men.  The  key  was  turned  in 
the  lock,  and  the  company  began  to  hustle  around  for 
new  men  to  fill  the  places  of  those  left  vacant,"  ' 

Then  commenced  the  scraping  up  of  whatever  kind 
of   man    could  be  found"  no  examination   was  needed. 

1  Chicago  Daily  News. 


350  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

Seven,  such  as  they  were,  were  found,  and  "seven 
freight  conductors  came  to  the  front,  to  do  by  the 
switchmen  as  many  of  them  had  done  by  the  enginemen. 
The  conductors  seemed  to  be  extremely  obedient  to 
their  laws,  as  non-combatants."  "  Three  freight  trains 
were  finally  made  up  and  dispatched  to  the  west." 
This  was  a  great  falling  off  from  the  previous  week's 
business  of  from  fifteen  to  twenty-five  freight  trains 
daily,  and,  as  a  consequence,  goods  waiting  shipment 
were  piled  up  in  great  quantities.  The  company  de- 
clined to  receive  more  freight  for  points  which  could 
be  reached  by  other  lines,  and  confined  its  efforts  to 
reaching  points  covered  only  by  its  own  system.  It 
also  refused  perishable  freight  to  and  from  the  points 
on  its  own  lines. 

The  switchmen  followed  suit  all  along  the  line  of 
the  Burlington  where  there  was  any  large  force  em- 
ployed. "  The  calling  out  of  all  the  switchmen  in 
Chicago  was  talked  about;  the  walk  out  of  the  Bur- 
lington was  slowly  but  surely  spreading.  The  men  at 
Plattsmouth,  Lincoln  and  East  St.  Louis  went  out  with 
Chicago  on  the  24.  Aurora,  111.,  followed,  with  Coun- 
cil Bluffs,  Iowa;  Omaha,  Nebraska;  and  Galesburg, 
111.,  following,  on  the  25th  and  26th,  and  St.  Joseph, 
Missouri,  April  1,  leaving  the  Burlington  with  scarce- 
ly any  men  with  which  to  do  business. 

The  Burlington  officials  believed  it  was  Mr.  Mono- 
ghan's  plan  to  have  all  switchmen  go  out  and  that  he 
would  carry  it  out  to  the  letter.  But  they  said  they 
would  fight  this  new  trouble,  cost  what  it  might. 
President  Perkins  received  an  endorsement  of  his 
conduct  of  the  business  affairs  of  the  Burlington  com- 


ANOTHER    CLOUD    RISING.  ^5  r 

pany,  from  the  directors  in  Boston;  on  March  27,  in 
the  following  resolutions:  "The  board  of  directors 
unanimously  approve  of  the  President's  course  during 
the  late  strike,  and  consider  that  it  is  their  duty  to 
offer  a  steady  resistance,  regardless  of  consequences, 
to  any  attempt  to  take  the  management  of  the  road 
from  the  hands  of  its  owners. 

J.  M.  Forbes,  Chairman. 

When  directors,  after  their  experience  and  im- 
mense loss,  are  as  indifferent  to  cost  and  consequences 
as  this  indicates,  the  result  of  the  action  of  the  switch- 
men at  that  late  day  must,  of  necessity,  have  but 
one  end— the  loss  of  place.  Had  the  brakemen  and 
switchmen  joined  issue  with  the  engineers  and  firemen 
in  the  start,  the  Burlington  would  have  been  confron- 
ted with  almost  an  impossibility.  A  knowledge  of  the 
road  bed,  its  ups  and  downs,  and  peculiarities,  are  as 
essential  as  the  knowledge  of  the  locomotive,  and  to 
have  all  green  men,  must  have  caused  even  the  Bur- 
lington officials,  with  all  their  indifference,  to  be 
more  considerate  at  least,  of  the  capital  they  represen- 
ted. 

There  is  a  lesson  in  the  conduct  of  the  Burlington 
strike,  that  with  a  little  wisdom,  might  be  used  to 
greatly  benefit  railroad  labor  in  the  future.  The  Bur- 
lington officials,  with  vast  resources  at  their  command, 
Pinkerton  detectives  and  police,  and  the  experience 
of  a  month,  were  well  equipped  for  this  strike.  The 
scabs  already  with  them,  knowing  that  the  switchmen's 
strike  implied  their  abhorrence  of  them,  rendered  all 
assistance  possible  in  rinding  others  of  their  kind  to 
come  to  the  Burlington,  and  at  "five  o'clock,  Tuesday 


352  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

afternoon,  fortv-live  switchmen  had  been  engaged,  and 
information  received  that  many  more  were  on  their 
way  to  Chicago  from  the  Reading  road.  The  Bur- 
lington had  only  hired  one  hundred  and  thirty  so  far, 
and  if  it  needed  more  there  were  still  four  hundred 
idle  switchmen  in  the  Reading  region  ready  to  respond 
at  anv  time.'' '  Had  Reading  men  been  as  plentiful 
from  1861  to  1865  as  they  were  in  1888,  the  forces  of 
'  Lee, '  instead  of  surrendering  to  the  silent  captain, 
would  have  lowered  their  colors  to  a  Reading  mob,  and 
Appomattox  would  not  have  found  a  place  in  his- 
torv.    " 

The  Burlington  officials  expected  trouble  with  the 
switchmen;  they  seldom  do  things  by  halves,  and  a 
characteristic  episode  in  a  switchmen's  strike  occurred 
Tuesday  afternoon  at  the  Stewart  avenue  station. 
General  Superintendent  Besler,  Assistant  Passenger 
Agent  Wakely,  Train  Master  Pope,  Pay  Master  Sturg- 
es,  Master  Mechanic  Smith,  Superintendent  Upham,  of 
the  Illinois  lines,  and  many  other  officials,  took  a  trip 
down  in  the  yards  to  see  how  the  strike  was  progress- 
ing. They  also  made  preparations  to  quarter  and  feed 
the  new  switchmen  and  Pinkerton  men.  The  entire 
partv,  and  a  number  of  reporters,  were  standing 
around  the  Stewart  avenue  station  waiting  for  the 
west  bound  train  for  Western  avenue.  A  dozen  or 
more  of  the  striking  engineers  and  switchmen  stood  a 
short  distance  away.  From  the  earnest  conversation 
and  gestures,  it  was  evident  that  the  officials  were 
recognized. 

A  heavy  loaded  freight  train  of  forty-five  cars  came 
down    the    track    just    ahead    of    the  passenger  train. 

1  Chicago  Daily  News.         2  Letter  of  S^   M.Stevens. 


ANOTHER    CLOUD    RISING.  353 

The  foot  board  in  front  of  the  engine  was  guarded  by- 
four  armed  Pinkerton  men ;  there  were  Pinkerton  men 
in  the  cab,  upon  the  tender;  they  clung  to  the  brake 
wheels  of  the  freight  cars,  in  fact  the  train  was  well 
protected.  Superintendent  Besler's  face  wore  a  satis- 
fied smile  as  the  long  train  of  cars  rattled  over  the 
switches  at  an  eight  mile  gait.  The  group  of  railroad 
men  had  vanished  or  separated.  The  half  dozen 
policemen  were  lost  in  the  contemplation  of  the  small 
army  of  Pinkerton  men. 

As  the  last  few  cars  were  passing  the  station,  the 
rear  car  faltered  a  moment  and  fell  behind.  The  pin 
had  been  pulled.  Superintendent  Besler's  smile  froze 
upon  his  face,  and  he  made  a  remark  not  mentioned 
here.  Train  Master  Pope  confirmed  his  statement. 
A  chorus  of  yells  and  laughter  arose  from  the  railroad 
men  and  the  crowd  of  loafers.  There  was  a  wild 
frantic  rush  of  Pinkerton  men,  policemen  and  railroad 
officials  for  the  daring  man  who  had  pulled  the  pin; 
he  had  vanished  into  the  air.  The  train  was  checked 
about  three  quarters  of  a  mile  west,  and  slowly  and 
sadly  backed  up. 

The  action  of  the  switchmen  of  the  Burlington  was 
as  individuals.  At  Creston  twenty  of  the  thirty-one 
went  out.  At  Quincy  seventeen  of  the  twenty-two, 
leaving  five,  the  master  of  the  Union  there  remaining 
at  Galesburg;  two  remained  with  the  company.  "At 
Lincoln  twelve  switchmen  quit  on  Monday.  Seven 
claimed  to  have  quit  to  attend  as  delegates  a  meeting 
of  the  striking  firemen;  two  gave  sickness  as  an  ex- 
cuse, while  three  admitted  they  were  on  a  strike.  At 
St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  a  switchman  was  killed  by  one  of  the 


354  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKfc. 

scabs  and  they  quit.  The  fever  was  contagious,  and 
rumors  that  the  Burlington  would  be  boycotted  by 
enginemen  and  switchmen  of  other  roads  was  heard 
on  every  hand.  Chicago  was  kept  in  a  condition  of 
excited  expectation,  while  the  feeling  among  railroad 
officials  in  regard  to  the  attitude  of  their  employes 
was  one  of  great  nervousness.  They  had  little  to  say  but 
agreed  that  they  had  no  assurance  that  their  men 
would  not  walk  out  at  any  time. 

There  was  an  atmosphere  of  decided  uncertain ity 
about  the  Lake  shore  yards  at  Forty-third  street  on 
Thursday  afternoon.  Everyone  expected  trouble  for 
the  reason  that  there  was  a  belief  that  a  train  of  Bur- 
lington cars  was  to  be  delivered  to  the  Lake  shore 
road.  A  veteran  policeman  on  duty  shook  his  head 
gloomily  at  the  prospect,  and  said  that  never  before 
had  he  seen  so  many  idle  men  ready  to  take  a  hand 
in  anything  that  might  come  along  as  there  were  then 
in  the  district 

From  the  inception  of  the  Burlington  strike,  a  flood 
of  all  sorts  of  men  flocked  into  Chicago,  from  men 
driven  by  necessity  to  the  lowest  bum  element,  such 
as  always  follow  in  the  wake  of  excitement,  and  the 
opportunity  for  this  element  was  offered  in  the  Mil- 
waukee &  St.  Paul  yards  when  a  Burlington  engine 
was  sent  to  the  Milwaukee  yards  at  Western  avenue 
and'  Kinzie  street  to  transfer  a  train  of  cars  just  turned 
out  of  the  manufactory.  A  mob  of  about  two  hun- 
dred "made  an  attack  on  the  engine  and  drove  from 
the  cab  the  Pinkerton  officers  stationed  there  to  pro- 
tect the  scabs.  The  officers,  though  well  armed,  re- 
frained   from  firing  on  the  crowd,  and  for    their    len- 


ANOTHER    CLOUD    RISING.  355 

iency,  were  rewarded  by  having  their  revolvers  taken 
away  from  them  and  used  to  beat  them  over  the  head. 
Superintendent  Besler,  of  the  Burlington,  was  attacked 
and  seriously  beaten.  The  mob  was  dispersed 
by  the  arrival  of  a  platoon  of  city  police,  and  a  switch- 
man who  had  attacked  Mr.  Besler  was  taken  to  the 
station.  This  was  a  signal  for  the  St.  Paul  switch- 
men to  quit  work.  They  went  in  a  body  to  the  sta- 
tion and  when  bail  was  refused  they  went  out  on  a 
strike,  being  joined  by  the  switch  engineers  and  fire- 
men. Later  in  the  day  the  man  was  admitted  to  the 
bail  and  all  was  quiet  in  the  yard,  but  the  outlook  was 
far  from  being  peaceful." 

On  March  29,  Grand  Chief  Arthur  left  Chi- 
cago for  his  home  in  Cleveland.  This  gave  rise  to 
all  sorts  of  comments  from  the  press,  and  much  condem- 
nation from  members  of  the  Brotherhood.  "  In  rail- 
road circles  it  was  agreed  that  the  departure  of  Mr. 
Arthur  meant  one  of  three  things :  that  he  had  to  go 
to  Cleveland  owing  to  the  expiration  of  his.  lease 
of  the  house  in  which  his  family  lived,  or  it  was  as  the 
radicals  hinted,  the  beginning  of  his  retirement;  or  to 
get  out  of  the  jurisdiction  of  the  courts  in  the  west. 
The  air  was  filled  with  all  sorts  of  rumors.  Mr. 
Arthur  was  conservative  and  believed  in  orderly 
methods.  He  was  in  a  position  to  surve}-  the  whole 
situation  and  had  made  up  his  mind  that  the  Burling- 
ton men  were  defeated,  and  had  told  them  so,  but  they 
would  not  have  it  that  way.  It  is  said,  "One  who 
doubts  is  already  defeated,"  and  it  is  presumed  he 
thought  he  had  accomplished  all  he  could  by  remain- 
ing.      "The  advisory  committee  of  the  Brotherhood, 


356  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

consisting  of  A.  G.  Dunn,  W.  B.  Husky,  A.  W.  Lo- 
gan, and  W.'R.  Hanby,  adopted  resolutions  expressing 
their  confidence  in  Mr.  Arthur  and  their  implicit  faith 
in  his  judgment,  and  indorsed  his  action  throughout. 
This  left  the  headquarters  of  the  Burlington  strike  with 
Messrs.  Hoge  and  Murphy;  Grand  Master  Sargent 
remaining  as  an  advisor. 

"On  Saturday,  at  the  headquarters  of  the  striking 
switchmen  at  Fourteenth  and  Jefferson  streets,  the  room 
was  filled  with  striking  engineers,  firemen,  and  switch- 
men, all  day,  and  the  prevailing  sentiment  was  opposed 
to  the  violence  of  the  day  before.  They  said  it  was  not 
their  purpose  to  interfere  in  any  manner  with  the  com- 
pany, and  they  would  not  countenance  any  act  of  vio- 
lence by  their  men.  But  the  yard  men  were  full  of 
strike  all  over  the  city.  Committees  were  there  from 
the  Fort  Wayne,  Pan  Handle,  and  North- Western,  and 
announced  their  intention  of  emphatically  refusing  to 
handle  Burlington  cars,  and  to  quit  work  if  the  com- 
panies required  them  to  do  so." 

The  Burlington  having  obtained  a  sufficient  number 
of  switchmen  to  begin  business  again,  determined  to 
push  the  issue,  and  to  call  upon  the  Pittsburg  and 
Fort  Wayne,  the  Lake  shore  and  Michigan  southern, 
the  Rock  Island,  the  Illinois  Central,  and  Alton  roads 
for  assistance  to  raise  the  blockade  in  its  yards.  There 
seemed  to  be  an  understanding  on  nearly  all  the  roads 
that  they  would  strike  before  they  would  handle  Bur- 
lington freight.  The  Burlington  directors  in  Boston  had 
made  up  their  minds  to  wreck  the  property  of  the 
Burlington  and  bankrupt  themselves,  rather  than 
yield,  and  the  situation  had   anything    but    a    pleasant 


ANOTHER    CLOUD    RISING.  357 

aspect.  Burlington  cars  had  been  standing  in  the 
yards  for  days  and  that  company  was  now  bound  to 
push  the  other  companies  into  a  light  or  into  court, 
under  the  inter-state  commerce  law.  There  seemed 
to  be  no  escape  for  the  other  companies,  the  Rock 
Island  being  the  only  one  to  take  a  positive  stand 
against  the  Burlington. 

The  St.  Paul  strike  was  confined  to  the  Chicago 
yards;  the  officials,  having  gathered  up  men  along  the 
line,  on  Saturday  had  eight  switch  engines  at  work, 
manned  by  conductors,  machinists  and  railroad  police 
who  had  been  engineers  or  firemen.  "  About  nine 
o'clock  a.  m.,  the  first  switch  engine  was  brought  out. 
Two  St.  Paul  special  police  officers  were  on  each  end, 
and  two  more  took  care  of  the  cab.  It  steamed  slow- 
ly down  to  the  coal  bins  and  got  coal.  The  new  hand 
was  not  very  brisk  at  the  throttle  and  called  out  main- 
comments  from  the  strikers,  but  no  attempt  was  made 
to  interfere.  They  coupled  on  to  a  few  cars  and 
steamed  away  at  a  funeral  pace."  ' 

Fifty  men  who  were  regular  freight  and  passenger 
conductors  on  the  Council  Bluffs  division,  arrived  at 
the  roundhouse  in  the  morning.  They  were  brought 
by  the  St.  Paul  people  to  fill  the  places  of  the  strik- 
ing engineers,  firemen  and  switchmen,  and  all  seemed 
anxious  to  pull  the  throttle  or  throw  a  switch.  Jerry 
Doherty,  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  switch  engineers, 
went  to  the  roundhouse  and  talked  with  the  men  and 
gained  their  sympathy,  and  they  declared  they  had 
never  scabbed  a  day  in  their  lives,  and  never  would. 
Doherty  was  ordered  away  by  one  of  the  blue  coats, 
but  Mr.  Doherty  told  him  he  wanted  to  get  his  time 

1  Chicago  Journal. 


;:-  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

check,  and  he  was  allowed  to  remain.  The  new  men 
were  not  so  anxious  to  do  switching  as  they  had  been. 
The  climax  e  when  one  of  their  number  came  up 

and  said,    ■  Come  ahead,  bo;  They  want  us  down 

•  7  don't  get  us 

down  tl  '  was  the  reply  that  came  from    the  call. 

The  men  fi  go  down  ar  what  - 

wanted  of  them,  and  on  the  way  a  captain  was  appoint- 
ed, and  the  men  fell  into  line  with  a  Council  Bluff's 
conduct  id.      They  had  o  tie  down 

the  track  about  two  hundred  feet,  when  one  of  them 
--.ed  that  if  the  St.  Paul  officials  wanted  them 
thev  would  have  to  come  down  and  make  their  pro- 
posals.  The  men  all  agreed  and  marched  back  to  the 
roundl  the  officials  had  not  come  to 

negotiate  with  them.  They  said  they  would  act  as 
conduc  ut  would  not  throw  switches. 

One  hundred  were  on  the    way  from  other  di- 

ns of  the  road  and  would  arrive  at  2:15  p.  M.,  the 
officials  savin  s  (Monday  everything  would  be  run- 
mng. 

The  readiness  with  which  men  all  along  the  roads 
in  trouble,  came  to  the  rescue  of  the  officials,  and 
broke  clown  all  efforts  of  the  yard  men,  must,  as  Air. 
Powderlv  said,  have  been  a  gratifying  spectacle  to  the 
officials.  The  Burlington,  in  following  out  its  plan  of 
pushing  the  issue  with  other  companies,  on  Saturday, 
"at  10:  15  a.  M.,  took  a  train  to  the  Pittsburg  and  1 
Wayne  road.  Soon  after  this  a  crew  of  th 
Wayne  switch  engines  was  ordered  to  take  charg-  I 
it.  The  crew  refused  to  handle  the  train  and  was 
immediatelv  discharged.     Six  crews,  one  afte 


- 

1  Chicago  Mail. 


AX0T1IKR    CLOUD    RISING. 


3:9 


were  ordered  to  take  theBurlington  train,  but  each 
refused  to  obev  the  order  and  was  in  turn  discharged. 
Finding  that  the  company  was  in  earnest,  the  remain- 
ing crews  in  the  yard  ran  their  engines  into  the  round- 
house and  quit  work.  One  hundred  and  seventy-rive 
men  were  employed  in  the  Fort  Wayne  yard.  Soon 
after  a  crew  was  found  and  the  objectional  train  moved 
without  opposition  from  the  strikers. 

An  attempt  was  made  by  the  strikers  to  draw  the 
passenger  engineers  and  firemen  into  the  strike.  The 
first  crew  leaving  at  2 :  20  p.  m.  would  not  join  them. 
At  3:30  however  a  crew  refused  to  take  the  train 
out,  but  another  crew  was  immediately  found,  and  the 
train  left  after  a  delay  of  about  fifteen  minutes, 
this  exception  there  was  no  disposition  shown  bv  the 
passenger  men  to  strike."'  "A  train  was  also  taken  to 
the  Lake  Shore  and  Michigan  Southern,  Saturday  after- 
noon. The  cars  were  received,  but  were  immediately 
run  upon  a  side  track,  and  the  yard  men  refused  to 
haul  them  out."' 

"At  one  o'clock,  Sunday  morning,  the  switchmen  on 
the  Atchison,  Topeka  &  Santa  Fe  went  out  in  a  bodv. 
They  were  followed  by  the  Chicago  &  Alton  switch- 
men on  Sunday  evening  at  six  o'clock  p.  m.,  when 
they  quit  work  and  housed  their  engines."  ' 

Meetings  were  held  Sunday  evening  in  Chicago, 
and  a  majority  of  the  switchmen  were  in  favor  of  the 
boycott.  --The  switchmen  employed  in  the  Milwaukee 
&  St.  Paul  yards  at  Milwaukee,  held  a  meeting  in  the 
evening  and  formulated  a  demand  that  no  Burlington 
cars  be  handled.  If  not  complied  with  they  would  quit 
at  11:00  a.  m.  on  [Monday.     The  boycott  fever  among 

1  Chicago  Tribune. 


360  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

the  switchmen  also  reached  Kansas  City,  and  the 
officials  of  roads  running  into  that  city  were  notified 
not  to  handle  Burlington  cars."  '  It  looked  as  though 
there  would  be  no  limit  to  the  extent  of  this  move- 
ment 

"A  mixed  train  of  twenty  cars  from  the  Sixteenth 
street  yards  of  the  Burlington,  arrived  at  the  Michigan 
Central  yards  at  Randolph  street  at  10:  30  a.  m.,  Mon- 
day, and  was  delivered  without  trouble  to  that  com- 
pany. It  was  followed  around  by  a  large  crowd  of 
idlers  who  expected  to  see  fun,  but  they  were  disap- 
pointed, for  there  was  not  the  slightest  interference 
offered  the  train  at  any  point  along  the  route  between 
the  two  yards.  As  soon  as  the  train  approached  the 
Michigan  Central  yards  the  engineers  on  the  Illinois 
Central  road  opened  their  whistles  and  made  a  most 
unearthly  noise,  but  this  was  the  onlv  demonstration. 
The  train  was  placed  on  a  side  track,  and  no  attempt 
was  made  to  take  it  out." 2 

All  this  excitement  had  brought  an  opportunity  for 
the  hoodlum  element,  and  on  several  occasions  thev 
had  created  disturbances  which  cast  serious  reflection 
upon  the  Burlington  strikers,  on  the  supposition  that 
they  were  bringing  this  state  of  things  about.  Grand 
Master  Monoghan,  of  the  switchmen's  union,  was 
much  incensed  that  such  things  should  happen,  to  cast 
reflections  upon  the  orders  whose  members  were  en- 
gaged in  it,  but  such  things  always  follow  exciting 
demonstrations  and  probably  always  will.  The  griev- 
ance committeemen  of  the  engineers  and  firemen  ex- 
pressed much  feeling  to  have  the  orderly  non-interfer- 
ence of  a  month  overbalanced  in  a  day 

1  Chicago  Tribune.         2  Chicago  Journal. 


ANOTHER    CLOUD    RISING.  361 

The  officials  of  the  Michigan  Central  gave  the  men 
notice  and  had  limited  the  time  for  them  to  decide 
whether  they  would  handle  Burlington  cars  or  not, 
and  at  a  meeting  Sunday  night  the  men  voted  to  go 
out  at  7  o'clock  Monday  morning. 

In  the  morning  the  forty  engineers,  firemen,  and 
switchmen  in  the  yards  of  the  Michigan  Central,  at 
the  foot  of  Lake  street,  with  the  exception  of  two 
non-brotherhood  engineers,  refused  to  handle  the  Bur- 
lington cars  sent  in  the  day  previous.  The  men  went 
to  work  at  seven  o'clock  as  usual,  but  upon  a  notice 
being  sent  them  a  half  hour  later  that  "Q"  cars  must 
be  handled  they  all  quit  with  the  exception  of  the  two 
non-brotherhood  men,  and  in  ten  minutes  the  entire 
business  of  the  yards  was  suspended.  The  next  work 
the  strikers  started  in  to  accomplish  was  to  subdue  the 
two  engineers  who  had  declined  to  be  counted  in  as 
strikers.  There  was  a  disposition  on  the  part  of  sev- 
eral switchmen  to  exercise  their  pugilistic  powers  on 
these  two,  but  the  better  sentiment  prevailed,  and  the 
striking  forces  marched  away  to  hold  a  conference  at 
Randolph  street  and  Michigan  avenue. 

In  the  meantime  the  company  was  not  idle  and  in 
response  to  Superintendent  Brown's  dispatches  seven- 
ty-five engineers,  firemen  and  brakemen  from  Jack- 
son and  Detroit,  Mich.,  came  in  at  once.  There  were 
various  and  conflicting  rumors  regarding  the  attitude 
of  these  men  toward  the  company,  but  Superintendent 
Brown  said  that  if  the  old  men  did  not  return  to  work 
in  an  hour  the  new  men  would  take  their  places. 
This  was  emphatically  denied  by  the  Michigan  train- 
men who  said  thev  had    come    to    Chicago    without 


362  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

knowing  what  disposition  was  to  be  made  of  them. 

At  any  rate  both  sides  seemed  desirous  of  avoiding 
trouble,  and  at  9  o'clock  Superintendent  Brown  sent 
a  message  to  the  strikers  to  the  effect  that  the  Detroit 
and  Jackson  men  were  desirous  of  holding  a  joint 
meeting,  to  arrive,  if  possible,  at  some  definite  conclu- 
sion. Before  the  communication  was. sent,  however, 
Miles  McHugh,  the  leader  of  the  party  from  Michigan, 
told  Mr.  Brown  that  his  delegation  was  not  in  Chica- 
go for  the  purpose  of  taking  the  places  of  any  of  the 
strikers,  and  that  they  were  as  much  opposed  to 
handling  "  Q ,:  freight  as  the  regular  men  were. 
These  preliminaries  over,  however,  the  conference 
was  entered  into,  and  for  three  hours  both  sides  were 
behind  closed  doors  in  the  superintendent's  office. 
While  this  meeting  was  in  progress,  word  was  re- 
received  from  Kensington,  where  the  south  branch 
yards  of  the  company  are  situated,  that  the  live  en- 
gines there  had  ceased  transferring  freight,  and  that 
the  twenty-four  men  there,  five  engineers  and  firemen 
and  fourteen  yardmen,  had  gone  out  as  soon  as  the 
news  of  the  strike  at  the  north  end  of  the  line  was 
received. 

At  nine  o'clock  Freight  Agent  Nichols  issued  the 
following,  which  was  sent  to  all  the  roads: 

"Until  further  advised  we  cannot  receive  any  more 
freight  or  cars  from  you.  Will  let  you  know  as  soon 
as  we  are  ready  to  receive  again. 

F.  P.  Nichols,  Freight  Agent." 

The  strikers,  after  a  conference  of  several  hours' 
duration,    decided  at  one  o'clock  to  go  back  to  work. 


ANOTHER    CLOUD    RISING.  363 

This  ended  one  strike,  but  the  day  was  an  eventful 
one. 

"General  Manager  Miller,  of  the  St.  Paul  road, 
issued  orders  to  reduce  the  forces  on  that  line,  and  to 
lay  off  every  employe  whose  services  were  not  abso- 
lutely necessary  to  cany  on  the  business  of  the  road. 
This  affected  nearly  7,000  men,  "and  in  addition  to  this, 
an  order  was  issued  to  reduce  the  salary  of  every  man 
in  the  employ  of  the  company,  including  the  general 
manager.  Such  an  order  was  unexpected  and  caused 
at  consternation  among  the  employes."  ' 

Judge  Gresham  issued  an  order  to  Milton  Knox  and 
"William  Briggs,  two  Belt  Line  engineers,  restraining 
them  from  refusing  to  promptly  haul  Burlington  cars. 
A  ease  was  brought  against  the  Rock  Island  road  by 
the  Burlington  in  Judge  Gresham's  court.  The  Rock 
Island,  however,  had  its  switches  locked  and  spiked 
against  Burlington  business.  The  union  and  non-un- 
ion switchmen  of  the  Lake  Shore  road  were  at  outs, 
because  of  a  threat  by  one  of  the  union  men.  The 
switchmen  were  out,  or  ready  to  go  out,  at  the  slight- 
est provocation,  on  nearly  all  the  roads  entering  Chi- 
cago. The  Michigan  Central  strike  had  been  only  of 
a  few  hours  duration,  and  amid  all  this  confusion  and 
turmoil,  it  was  discovered  that  some  one,  or  more  men, 
had  issued  a  circular  and  sent  it  to  the  train  men  out 
along  the  road  in  the  following:  "We  advise  you  to 
handle  all  cars  regardless  of  who  makes  up  the  trains 
in  the  yards."  It  was  openly  charged  that  this  ema- 
nated from  the  advisory  board  of  engineers,  but 
whether  so  or  not,  it  was  like  a  bomb  shell  in  the 
camp.     The  Milwaukee  had  got  tired  of  waiting,  and 

1  Chicago   Daily  News. 


364  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

had  concluded  to  discharge  the  old  men  and  take  on 
new,  and  the  Pittsburg,  Fort  Wayne  and  Chicago 
men  were  not  much  better  off.  Men  who  had  ev- 
idently helped  by  their  promises  and  encouragement 
to  get  the  switchmen  out,  when  it  came  their  turn  to 
make  a  sacrifice  were  found  wanting. 

The  fruit  of  discord,  "  demoralization,"  began  to  be 
apparent.  It  was  evident  to  the  leaders  that  some- 
thing must  be  done  or  this  single  handed,  headless 
contest,  would  sacrifice  the  positions  of  half  the  good 
men  in  Chicago.  Grand  Master  Sargent  and  Grand 
Master  Monoghan,  and  the  two  chairmen  of  the  Bur- 
lington strikers,  Messrs.  Hoge  and  Murphy,  held  a 
conference  and  resolved  to  make  an  effort  to  put  a 
stop  to  this  if  possible,  and  get  the  men  all  back  to 
work.  This  was  no  trifle,  as  many  of  them  were  in 
an  ugly  mood.  But  it  was  election  day  and  the  Bur- 
lington concluded  it  would  not  be  politic  to  force 
the  issue  as  the  police  were  nearly  all  on  duty  at  the 
polls,  and  business  was  wofully  stagnated  by  the  strike, 
so  that  a  majority  of  the  men  could  attend  the  meet- 
ing which  was  held  in  Turner  hall,  in  the  afternoon. 
The  two  Grand  Masters,  bent  upon  sparing  no  effort 
to  bring  order  out  of  chaos,  attended  this  meeting, 
accompanied  by  General  Manager  Jeffery,  the  man- 
ager of  all  managers,  who  had  the  most  influence 
with  the  laboring  men.  Stirring  addresses  from  these 
three  men  brought  the  desired  result,  and  the  men 
were  ready  to  go  back  to  work,  but  all  was  not  yet 
done:  they  must  have  the  consent  of  the  officials  of 
these  roads  before  they  could  go  back.  This  work 
was  immediately  taken  up.     General  Manager  Jeffery, 


ANOTHER    CLOUD    RISING.  365 

Chairman  Hoge,  and  C.  Nay  lor,  master  of  Lodge  244, 
of  Chicago,  waited  on  General  Manager  McCray,  of 
the  Pittsburg,  Fort  Wayne  &  Chicago,  and  finally 
secured  consent  for  the  men  to  go  to  work  in  the 
morning.  x\ll  cars  were  to  be  handled,  and  the  same 
relations  were  to  exist  as  before  the  strike.  The 
Michigan  Central  men  were  already  back.  But  the 
Milwaukee  road  was  in  a  bad  condition;  the  road  had 
suffered  considerable  loss.  General  Manager  Miller 
had  tried  hard  to  keep  the  road  out  of  trouble,  and  he 
felt  that  he  had  been  badly  treated.  He  was  in  no 
humor  to  be  approached  with  a  proposition  to  the 
affect  that  the  men  would  go  to  work  if  he  should 
reinstate  them  all  to  their  former  positions.  These 
gentlemen  finally  succeeded.  The  men  went  to  work 
at  seven  o'clock,  April  4,  and  the  boycott  in  Chicago 
was  raised,  and  the  strike  confined  -to  the  Burlington. 
The  St.  Paul  employes  who  had  been  ordered  sus- 
pended, were  also  ordered  back  at  their  old  wages, 
and  the  wheels  of  traffic  were  again  set  in  motion. 
The  raising  of  the  boycott  caused  much  feeling,  among 
those  who  could  not  see  the  difficulties  of  the  situation. 
The  effort  was  made  by  the  switchmen  with  honest 
and  good  intentions,  but  they  wrere  too  late  to  be  useful 
to  those  in  whose  interest  they  were  made,  and  Grand 
Masters  Sargent  and  Monoghan  are  deserving,  not  of 
condemnation,  but  great  praise,  for  putting  a  stop  to 
this  futile  effort,  saving  the  men's  plaees.  and  ending 
the  opportunity  it  offered  to  criminals  and  desperadoes 
with  no  interest  in  the  strife  or  its  results,  "  who  re- 
garded human  life  as  a  cheap  offering  on  the  altar  of 
discord."     fn    the    midst    of  all  the  difficulties    which 


366  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

beset  men  of  labor,  there  appeared  in  the  Chicago 
Mail,  of  April  2,  a  long  circular  letter  which  the  Marl 
said.  "  was  intended  for  railroad  managers  only,  but  in 
view  of  the  complications  in  railroad  circles,  the  Mail 
deemed  it  proper  to  make  public:  " 

"The  advance  sheets  from  the  report  of  the  grand 
secretary  of  the  Order  of  Railway  Conductors  have 
been  sent  out  to  the  managers  of  the  various  rail- 
roads." 

"By  way  of  preface  the  grand  secretary  says:  I 
am  directed  by  the  executive  committee  of  the  Order 
of  Railway  Conductors  to  send  advance  sheets  of  a 
portion  of  my  ninth  annual  report  to  the  general  offi- 
cers of  the  principal  railways  in  the  United  States,  in 
order  that  the  position  of  our  association  in  regard  to 
labor  troubles  and  strikers  in  general,  and  the  strikes 
of  engineers  in  particular,  shall  be  fully  understood  by 
them.  In  taking  this  position  we  make  no  claim  to  a 
philanthropic  feeling  toward,  or  love  for,  railway  com- 
panies. The  conductors  feel,  and  with  good  reason  in 
many  cases,  that  they  do  not  receive  justice  from  the 
companies,  that  the  lovaltv  toward  their  employers 
in  times  of  trouble  in  the  past  has  not  been  apprecia- 
ted; but  they  recognize  the  fact  that  to  assist  the  en- 
gineers or  any  other  class  of  employes  in  procuring 
more  than  justice  is  to  assist  in  placing  it  beyond  the 
power  of  railway  officers  to  give  to  the  conductor  the 
recognition  and  remuneration  that  they  believe  he  is 
entitled  to." 

"The  love  of  the  engineer  for  the  conductor  so 
loudly  professed  has  been  plainly  illustrated  on  more 
than  one  occasion  within  the  last  few  years.     Reflect 


ANOTHER    CLOUD    FUSING.  367 

upon  the  treatment  accorded  your  representatives    at 

Chicago,  when  by  the  direction  of  the  grand  division, 
a  communication  was  addressed  to  them  on  the  mat- 
ter of  license.  To  this  respectful  communication  not 
the  slightest  reply  has  ever  been  made.  They  come 
to  you  holding  out  the  right  hand  of  friendship,  but  in 
their  left  hand  they  held  the  dagger  to  stab  you  at  the 
first  opportunity." 

"It  has  been  asserted  in  th^  Railway  Conductor's 
Monthly  that  a  large  majority  of  the  conductors  of  the 
United  States  are  capable  of  successfully  running  loco- 
motives and  the  assertion  is  made  here,  without  fear 
of  successful  contradiction,  that  if  it  were  not  for  the 
unreasonable  prejudice  existing  in  regard  to  taking 
another's  place  and  the  false  sympathy  in  regard  to 
'taking  the  bread  out  of  a  brother's  mouth'  the  place 
of  every  member  of  the  Brotherhood  of  Locomotive 
Engineers  in  the  country  could  be  suceessfullv  rilled 
within  thirty  days,  and  the  engineers  as  a  class  would 
be  more  intelligent  men  than  they  are  at  present." 

"It  is  time  for  the  conductors  to  teach  railway  offi- 
cers what  the  engineers  themselves  already  well 
know  and  are  anxious  to  conceal — that  nine-tenths  of 
the  conductors  of  the  United  States  are  capable  and 
trustworthy  engineers.  The  conductors  on  the  Chica- 
go, Burlington  &  Quincy  have  already  demonstrated 
this,  and  they  are  ready  to  do  it  on  other  roads.  I 
hope  sincerely  that  the  time  is  close  at  hand  when 
they  will  not  only  be  ready  but  willing  to  do  so  all 
over  the  United  States." 

We  only  give  extracts  of  this  document,  which  is 
too  long  to  admit  of  space  in  this  work.      All   the  evi- 


J 


68  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 


dence  goes  to  show  that  the  animus  contained  in  this 
did  not  emanate  from  the  conductors'  order,  but  from 
the  individual,  the  Grand  Chief  Conductor.  It  is  true 
he  was  sustained  at  the  convention  held  in  Toronto, 
Canada,  but  there  are  always  men  at  the  conventions 
that  follow  the  leader  rather  than  their  own  convictions. 
Strong  speeches  were  made  in  opposition  to  the  Grand 
Chief  Conductor's  position.  Delegate  Ransom  said 
among  other  things.  "  These  organizations  have  ad- 
vanced the  interests  of  the  laboring  man.  The  Grand 
Chief  Conductor  has  said  that  where  his  report  was 
written  all  was  turmoil  and  unquiet,  and  it  was  written 
in  an  atmosphere  different  from  what  he  found  in 
Canada,  admitting  that  had  he  been  in  peaceful  Can- 
ada that  the  objectional  portion  of  the  report  would 
never  have  been  written.  I  beg  the  members  to  de- 
cide upon  the  subject  matter  of  the  report,  and  to  con- 
sider the  grand  chief  upon  the  same  basis  that  he 
would  place  any  other  member,  when  he  had  so  con- 
siderately stepped  down  from  the  chair  to  defend  him- 
self, thereby  admitting  that  his  course  needs  defense; 
do  not  permit  the  fact  that  it  is  the  report  of  the  grand 
officer  to  deter  you  from  condemning  any  language 
calculated  to  array  this  body  against  any  other  organ- 
ization whatever;  and  do  not  take  any  action  calculated 
to  cause  trouble  where  there  is  now  peace  and  har- 
mony." ' 

The  report  was  sustained,  but  the  harm  of  it  did  not 
remain  within  the  walls  of  the  convention.  When 
printed  it  created  immense  feeling  among  labor  organ- 
izations, and  secured  open  condemnation  from  some  of 
the  divisions  of  the  conductors'  order.     It  brought  dis- 

1  B.  of  L.  E.  Jcurn.il.   June.  1888. 


ANOTHER    CLOUD    FUSING.  369 

cord  where  before  had  been  harmony;  incisive  remarks 
made  by  those  actuated  by  passion,  as  was  Chief 
Wheaton,  widened  the  breach.  The  seed  sown  was 
reaped  in  the  formation  of  a  new  order  of  conductors 
called  the  Conductors'  Brotherhood,  and  its  growth 
has  been  astonishing. 

The  real  cause  of  the  feeling  on  the  part  of  Messrs. 
Wheaton  and  Daniels,  was  their  effort  to  have  passed 
a  license  law.  Circulars  had  been  sent  to  all  divisions 
of  the  Brotherhood,  asking  their  support,  but  the  con- 
ditions contained  in  the  bill  were  such  that  the}'  did  not 
consider  it  to  their  interest  to  do  so.  The  same  was 
presented  to  the  engineers'  convention  at  Chicago, 
where  Mr.  Wheaton  claims  he  did  not  receive  the  re- 
spect he  deserved.  There  are  twenty-eight  sections 
in  this  bill.  The  first  section  prohibits  any  railroad 
company  employing  any  but  licensed  conductors  and 
engineers.  Sections  two  to  nine  inclusive,  relate  to  an 
army  of  examiners,  who,  under  this  bill,  would  become 
United  States  officers. 

Sec.  10.  Every  railway  conductor,  and  every  loco- 
motive engineer,  who  receives  a  license  hereunder, 
shall,  before  entering  upon  the  discharge  of  his  duties, 
make  and  subscribe  an  oath  before  one  of  the  examin- 
ers herein  provided  for,  that  he  will  faithfully  and  hon- 
estly, according  to  his  best  skill,  judgment  and  ability, 
perform  all  the  duties  required  of  him  by  law. 

Sec.  11.  Every  railway  conductor  and  every  loco- 
motive engineer  who  shall  receive  a  license  as  herein 
provided  for,  when  employed  upon  any  railway,  shall 
keep  such  license,  and  shall  upon  request  of  any  passen- 
ger upon  his  railway  train,  exhibit  such  license.     And 


3/0  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

for  every  neglect  to  comply  with  this  provision  by  any 
such  railway  conductor  or  locomotive  engineer,  he 
shall  be  subject  to  a  fine  of  one  hundred  dollars,  or  to 
the  revocation  of  his  license. 

Sections  twelve  to  twenty-one  relate  to  examiners. 

Sec  22.  If  any  licensed  officer  shall,  to  the  hin- 
drance of  commerce,  wrongfully  or  unreasonably  re- 
fuse to  serve  in  his  official  capacity  on  any  railway,  as 
authorized  by  the  terms  of  his  certificate  of  license,  or 
shall  fail  to  deliver  to  the  applicant  for  such  service,  at 
the  time  of  such  refusal,  if  the  same  shall  be  demand- 
ed, a  statement  in  writing,  assigning  good  and  suffici- 
ent reasons  therefor,  his  license  shall  be  revoked,  up- 
on the  same  proceedings  as  are  provided  in  other 
cases  of  revocation  of  such  license. 

Sections  twenty-three  to  twenty-eight,  inclusive,  fix 
salaries  of  examiners,  etc.  The  whole  bill  looks  more 
like  an  effort  to  make  room  for  office,  than  to  benefit 
the  railroad  employes.  It  only  adds  complications  to 
those  that  already  beset  railroad  men  and  offers 
nothing  to  better  their  condition.  It  was  so  peculiarly 
useless  and  unfitting  in  its  application,  that  it  called  out 
the  following  from  the  fertile  brain  of  Bill  Nye,  in  the 
Louis  Post  Dispatch,  of  which  we  give  extracts: 
"  Some  anxiety  is  being  shown  on  the  part  of  the 
people  relative  to  the  condition  of  a  certain  bill,  intro- 
duced in  congress,  January  10  of  the  present  year. 

Conductors,  under  the  provisions  of  this  bill,  are 
required  to  submit  to  a  rigid  examination  under  the 
e ye  of  the  chief  examiner,  appointed  by  the  president, 
and  who  shall  receive  $3,500  per  year,  and  mileage  at 
the  rate  of  10  cents  per  mile,  together  with  reasonable 


ANOTHER    CLOUD    RISING,  37 1 

traveling  expenses.  The  chief  examiner  will  delegate 
his  power  as  an  examiner  to  twenty  supervising  exam- 
iners, retaining  only  the  bitter  anguish  and  enervating 
toil  incident  to  the  life  of  one  who  looks  out  at  the  car 
window  all  day  and  patiently  accumulates  mileage." 

"The  chief  examiner,  and  supervising  examiner  shall 
constitute  a  national  board  of  examiners,  who  shall 
meet  at  Washington,  D.  C,  every  little  while,  to  think 
it  over  and  then  go  away.  The  national  board  of 
examiners  shall  divide  our  unhappy  countrv  into  twen- 
ty districts,  each  of  which  shall  be  cheered  by  the 
presence  of  two  districts  examiners,  and  the}'  shall  be 
men  of  good  moral  character,  who  can  ask  difficult 
questions  and  be  willing  to  work  on  a  salarv.  They 
shall  receive  a  salary  of  $2,000  a  year,  mileage,  sta- 
tionery, and  press  notices.  The  duties  of  district  ex- 
aminers as  prescribed  are  optional,  but  the  salary  is 
compulsory.  Assistant  district  examiners  may  be  ap- 
pointed at  a  salary  of  $1,500,  and  clerks,  when  neces- 
sary, may  be  employed  to  do  the  work  at  $1,200  per 
year." 

"The  chief  examiner,  supervising  examiner,  district 
examiners  and  assistant  district  examiner,  shall  be  at 
all  times  guarded  by  a  cloud  of  mileage  by  day  and  a 
pillar  of  salary  by  night." 

"The  board  may  revoke  the  license  of  any  conductor 
at  any  time  upon  the  commission  of  certain  acts,  and 
he  will  then  be  arrested  under  the  provisions  of  the 
United  States  statutes,  if  he  undertakes  to  run  a  train, 
even  though  the  railroad  ma}-  desire  to  retain  him. 
This  gives  the  conductor  the  chance  to  work  for  the 
railway  companies  and  the  United  States  of    America, 


372  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

providing  he  behaves  himself,  and  at  one  salary.  In 
other  words,  he  buys  a  license  for  the  privilege  of 
doubling  his  responsibilities  without  increase  of  pa}-. 
Upon  passing  a  satisfactory  examination  the  conductor 
will  be  permitted  and  required  to  wear  a  large  tin 
badge,  bearing  the  remark  "Conductor"'  upon  it,  also 
the  number  of  his  license,  the  number  of  the  district  in 
which  the  license  was  issued,  the  number  of  his  resi- 
dence, his  post  office  address,  and  any  other  informa- 
tion desired  by  a  morbidly  curious  public.  He  may 
also  be  required  to  wear  a  muzzle  during  dog  days. 
Conductors  on  receiving  their  license  will  be  required 
to  subscribe  to  an  oath  in  substance  as  follows:" 

"The  schedule  of  examination  has  not  yet  been  fixed, 
but  it  must  be  so  prepared  that  it  shall  cover  the  phy- 
sical and  mental  conditions  of  the  applicant,  and  will 
no  doubt  run  something  as  follows:  " 

"State  your  age,  weight,  height,  sex,  complexion, 
where  born,  and  who,  if  any  one  besides  yourself  was 
present  at  the  time." 

"I,  A.  B.,  having    been    duly    sworn,    upon    my 

oath,  do  remark,  set  forth  and  state,  that  I  am years 

of  age,  that  I  reside  in  the  county  and  state  aforesaid, 
that,  feeling  the  loneliness  of  a  man  who  is  employed  bv 
a  railroad,  and  the  isolation  of  one  who  is  responsible 
only  to  the  President,  board  of  directors,  receiver, 
general  superintendent,  general  traffic  manager,  gen- 
eral passenger  and  ticket  agent,  claim  agent,  road 
master,  and  division  superintendent,  I  desire  to  be 
thrown  in  contact  with  the  United  States  Goverment, 
and  to  become  responsible  to  the  civil  and  military 
authorities,  in  order  that  I  may  be  duly  examined  and 


ANOTHER    CLOUD    RISING.  373 

overhauled  by  congress;  I  also  do  further  swear,  and 
set  forth,  that  I  will  be  a  good,  fathful  conductor  to  the 
best  of  my  ability,  and  that  I  will  wear  such  badges  as 
my  health  will  permit,  providing  my  bosom  is  wide 
enough,  and  that  I  will  report  promptly  to  Washington 
every  day,  what  is  said  on  my  train  that  might  be  of 
political  interest,  and  that  I  will  assist  in  defraying 
campaign  expenses,  be  kind  and  courteous  at  all  times 
to  chief  examiner,  district  examiner,  acting  examiners, 
assistant  examiners  or  breath  testers,  who  may  be  en- 
route,  and  that  I  will  love,  honor  and  obey  them  as 
long  as  we  both  shall  live.  (Signed)  A.  B.  I  only 
ask,  on  behalf  of  several  anxious  friends,  what  has  be- 
come of  this  bill,  and  whether  it  is,  or  is  not  now  a 
law,  and  if  not,  why  not.     Bill  Nye." 

The  hits  of  Nye  upon  the  conditions  asked  for  in 
this  bill  are  forcible,  and  under  his  ridicule  there  is 
reason.  No  class  of  laboring  men  should  quarrel 
because  some  individual  was  not  supported  in  an 
effort  to  pass  a  law,  in  order  to  furnish  official  places. 
State  license  has  enough  politics  in  it,  but  would  be  a 
benefit  to  both  engineers  and  conductors,  and  add 
safety  to  the  public,  but  a  license  recognizing  your 
knowledge  and  ability  need  not  imply  the  abrogation 
of  individual  liberty.  The  Burlington  strikers  had  a 
heavy  load  to  carry — all  their  own  troubles,  and  the 
slurs  of  every  one  who  had  a  grudge  against  any  indi- 
vidual who  belonged  to  the  30,000  who  composed  the 
Brotherhood — but  they  stood  their  ground;  and  as  the 
strike  had  been  confined  to  the  Burlington  road,  let  us 
look  along  the  line. 


26 


CHAPTER  XLVI. 

RAILWAY    AND    WAREHOUSE    COMMISSIONERS. 

"  A  complaint  signed  by  fifty-two  citizens  and 
"business  firms  of  Aurora  had  been  filed  with  the  Rail- 
road and  Warehouse  Commission  in  which  the  com- 
plainants say :  '  We  are  informed  and  belive  that  nu- 
merous engineers  and  firemen  now  in  the  employ  of 
the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Company,  and  en- 
gaged in  running  trains  through  this  city,  are  unfit  and 
incompetent  to  perform  the  duties  of  their  respective 
positions,  and  that  thereby  the  lives  and  property  of 
people  patronizing  said  railroad  are  daily  endangered. 
We  therefore  respectfully  request  that  you  will  imme- 
diately cause  an  examination  to  be  made  into  the 
truthfulness  of  the  above  matter,  and  take  such  action 
as  may  be  by  law  required.'  Among  the  signatures 
are  those  of  Charles  Wilson.  John  J.  Davis,  O.  C. 
Pease,  Titus,  Marshall  &  Co.,  H.  Knapp,  Andrew 
Welch,  J.  M.  Kennedy,  C.  Abel,  Hall  and  Ballard,  and 
James  Shaw."  ' 

The  first  case  before  the  commissioners  was  that  of 
W.  H.  Pierce,    which   has   been    given  on    page    181. 

The  next  was  Hosea  DeWitt.  "  Hecter  H.  Hall 
testified  he  had  known  him  ei^ht  vears,  that  he  was 
an  habitual  drunkard,  and  that  his  (De  Witt's)  wife 
had  been  to  all  saloons,  forbidding  them  to  sell  him 
anything."  x  The  evidence  of  his  habits  was  corrob- 
orated by  Stewart  H.   Haddock  and  John  B.  Clark. 

1  Chicago  World. 


RAILWAY    AM)    WAREHOUSE    COMMISSIONERS.      37$ 

De  Witt  was  discharged  from  the  Burlington  for  hav- 
ing a  collision  prior  to  the  strike.  The  next  case  was 
G.  Grav,  of  Streator,  who  had  been  discharged  for  a 
collision  in  the  yard  at  Streator,  by  the  Burlington 
before  the  strike.  The  testimony  also  showed  him  a 
drunkard.  Witnesses,  John  Bexon,  Nicholas  Plain. 
"  Next  came  George  Rogers,  who  had  been  dis- 
charged from  the  Milwaukee,  Lake  Shore  &  Western, 
for  general  unreliability  and  drinking.  Witness,  Cor- 
nelius Sullivan."  "  Next,  Harry  Smith,  discharged 
from  the  Mary  net,  Houghton  &  Ontonagon  railroad 
for  drunkenness."  Then  the  next  case  was  that  of  Zeb 
Sammis,  alluded  to  on  page  184. 

George  W.  Wheatley,  on  behalf  of  the  complainants, 
was  examined  bv  Mr.  Sullivan,  as  follows : 

Q.     What  is  your  name  ?     A.      George  W.  Wheat- 
ley. 

Where  do  you  reside,  Mr.  Wheatley  r     Beardstown, 
Illinois. 

What  is  your  occupation  ?     Engineer. 

Locomotive   engineer  ?     Locomotive  engineer,  sir. 

How  long  have   you  been  a  locomotive  engineer  ? 
Fifteen  years. 

In  what  companies'  employ  have  you  been  ?     I  have 
been  the  last  eight  years — seven  years — with  the  C 
B.  &Q. 

When  did  you  last   see   Frank    Hamilton  ?     I   saw 
Hamilton  last  Saturday  morning. 

Where  was  he  ?     At  Beardstown,  on  engine  341,  if 
\  am  not  mistaken. 

On  what  road  ?     C,  B.  &  Q.,  St.  Louis  division. 

Is  that  a  passenger  or  freight  train  ?      Freight  train. 


376  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

When  did  you  last  see  Frank  Horn,  and  where  ? 
I  haven't  seen  him  in  a  couple  of  months,  I  guess  it  is, 
until  lately. 

Do  you  know  what  his  occupation  now  is  ?  He  is 
running  an  engine. 

Where  ?  On  the  C,  B.  &  Q.,  from  Rock  Island  to 
Sterling,  without  he  has  been  taken  off  in  the  last  week. 

Do  you  know  Joseph  Roach's  occupation  ?  Yes, 
sir. 

What  is  it  ?  He  has  been  running  an  engine.  They 
took  him  off  there,  and  put  him  in  the  shop  to  learn  to 
oil  around. 

When  ?     A  week  ago. 

For  what  company  had  he  been  running  an  engine 
up  to  a  week  ago  ?  Running  an  engine  for  the  C, 
B.  &  Q. 

In  what  place  has  he  been  placed  ?  The  C,  B.  & 
Q.  shop. 

Do  you  know  J.  Lobstein  ?     Yes,  sir. 

What  has  he  been  doing  ?  He  is  in  the  shop  learn- 
ing the  trade,  and,  with  the  other  fellow,  learning  to 
oil  an  engine  around  in  the  different  parts,  and  so  forth. 

Do  you  know  Harry  Zimmerman  ?     Yes,  sir. 

Before  Lobstein  was  put  in  that  shop  to  get"  that 
information,  what  was  he  doing  ?  He  was  running  an 
engine. 

Between  what  points  ?  Between  Beardstown  and 
Rock  Island,  and  Beardstown  and  St.  Louis,  or  East 
St.  Louis. 

On  the  Burlington  &  Quincy  ?     Yes,  sir. 

On  passenger  or  freight  ?     Freight. 

You  said  you  knew  Zimmerman  ?     Yes,  sir. 


RAILWAY    AND    WAREHOUSE    COMMISSIONERS.      377 

What  was  he  doing  ?     He  was  running  an  engine. 

Between  what  points  ?  He  ran  a  switch  engine  in 
the  yard. 

In  what  place  ?  At  Beardstown,  and  he  is  on  the 
road  now  running  an  engine. 

Between  what  points  ?  Between  the  Rock  Island 
and  different  points,  change  around  from  Beardstown 
to  Rock  Island  and  St.  Louis — East  St.  Louis. 

Passenger  or  freight  ?     Freight. 

Do  you  know  William  Patterson  ?     Yes,  sir. 

What  has  been  his  position  recently  ?  He  is  run- 
ning a  switch  engine  at  Beardstown. 

At  Beardstown  ?     Yes,  sir. 

For  the  C,  B.  &  Q.  ?     Yes,  sir. 

Were  any  of  those  men  occupied  as  engineers  prior 
to  the  27th  of  February  ?     No,  sir 

Is  Frank  Hamilton  a  locomotive  engineer  ?     No,  sir. 

What  was  his  position  prior  to  that  time  ?  Con- 
ductor. 

On  what  road  ?     C,  B.  &  Q. 

How  long  have  you  known  him  ?     Since   1881. 

Did  you  ever  know  him  to  run  an  engine  ?     No,  sir. 

How  long  have  you  known  Frank  Horn  ?  Since 
about  1882,  I  guess.     Somewhere  along  there. 

What  was  his  position  from  the  time  you  first  knew 
him,  beginning  from  1882  up  to  the  27th  of  February  ? 
He  first  started  in  as  brakeman  for  freight,  and  then 
went  braking  on  a  passenger,  and  then  baggageman. 

Braking  first  on  freight,  and  then  passenger,  and 
then  a  baggageman  ?     Yes,  sir. 

Was  he  running  as  baggageman  up  to  the  27th  of 
February  ?     He  was  running   a    passenger    train   as 


378  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

conductor.  He  was  made  a  freight  conductor  and 
from  that  to  a  passenger. 

Then  he  was  a  passenger  conductor  at  this  time,  the 
27th  of  February?     Yes,  sir. 

Had  he  ever  run  an  engine  before  that  time  ?  No, 
sir. 

What  was  Joseph  Roach's  occupation  prior  to  the 
27th  of  February  ?     He  was  a  freight  conductor. 

Braking  prior  to  that  ?     Yes,  sir. 

When  did  he  come  on  the  C,  B.  &  Q.?  About 
three  years  ago. 

Since  the  time  you  first  formed  his  acquaintance  in 
1876  or  1878  up  to  the  27th  of  February,  was  he  ever 
employed  as  an  engineer  ?     No,  sir. 

Was  he  ever  employed  as  a  fireman  ?     No,  sir. 

How  long  have  you  known  Lobstein  ?  I  have 
known  him  about  four  or  five  years. 

What  was  Roach's  employment  immediately  before 
he  was  put  on  the  engine  ?     Conductor  of  freight. 

What  was  Lobstein's  occupation  prior  to  the  27th 
of  February  ?     Freight  conductor. 

For  the  C,  B.  &  Q.  road  ?     Yes,  sir. 

Had  he  any  experience  as  a  locomotive  engineer  ? 
No,  sir. 

Do  you  know  an}-  other  occupation  that  he  ever  fol- 
lowed but  that  of  conductor  ?     He  was  brakeman. 

Braking  prior  to  that  ?     Yes,  sir. 

Was  he  ever  a  fireman  ?     No,  sir. 

How  long  have  you  known  Hany  Zimmerman  ?  I 
have  known  him  about  the  same  length  of  time;  four 
or  five  years. 

What  was  his  occupation  prior  to  the  27th  of  Feb- 


RAILWAY    AND    WAREHOUSE    COMMISSIONERS.      379 

ruary,  this  year  ?  He  was  freight  brakeman  and  pas- 
passenger  brak eman  and  running  baggage  on  the  train, 
and  then  he  was  put  on  running  as  a  freight  conductor. 

Conducting  a  freight  train  ?     Yes,  sir. 

During  all   that   time   was  lie  ever  employed  as  a 
locomotive  engineer  or  fireman  ?     No,  sir. 
•    How  long  have  vou  known  William  Patterson  ?     I 
have  known  him  since  along  in  1870  I  believe  it  was. 

What  has  been  his  occupation  during  that  time  ? 
He  had  been  braking  on  the  Wabash  when  I  first  knew 
him. 

And  after  that  ?  After  that  he  came  on  to  what 
used  to  be  called  the  old  Rock  Island  &  St.  Louis  rail- 
road, and  broke  there  awhile,  and  then  there  was  a 
lapse  of  a  year  that  I  dropped  sight  of  him.  When  I 
came  back  since  1881  he  was  on  the  C,  B.  &  Q. 

In  what  capacity  has  he  been  on  the  C,  B.  &  Q.  ? 
Switching.  Run  a  train  a  while  as  switchman  and 
then  run  a  train  on  the  road. 

In  what  capacity  did  he  run  a  train  ?     Conductor. 

Freight  or  passenger  ?     Freight. 

Did  he  ever  serve  during  that  time  as  an  engineer 
or  fireman  ?     No,  sir. 

Evidence  corroborated  by  W.  A.  Ennison,  engineer 
in  employ  of  the  C,  B.  &  Q.  railway,  who  testified  on 
cross-examination : 

John  E.  Dooley,  a  clerk  in  the  mail  postoffice  car, 
related  that  he  was  in  the  collision  near  Naperville, 
February  27;  that  he  was  injured  in  the  shoulder  and 
side,  and  laid  up  three  weeks;  that  W.  F.  Stinson,  a 
postoffice  clerk,  and  a  railroad  clerk  named  Clark,  fix- 
ing at  Princeton,  and   a    man   named    Durkee,    a    mail 


380  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

clerk  in  the  same  car,  were  all  seriously  injured. 

Fred  Geyer,  foreman  of  the  Burlington  locomotive 
department  at  Aurora,  testified  that  he  was  in  charge 
of  engine  403  on  the  27th  of  February,  that  was 
wrecked  near  Naperville ;  that  there  were  three  men 
on  the  engine  besides  himself,  and  that  a  young  man 
bv  the  name  of  Foster  opened  the  throttle  and  snatched 
the  brake  out  of  his  hand,  and  that  he  (Foster)  was 
trying  to  help  him;  that  he  himself  was  injured,  and 
that  the  fireman  Parsons  was  a  new  man,  and  not  a 
good  fireman. 

When  did  you  ever  run  an  engine  before  on  a  main 
track  ?     I  never  did. 

Never  in  your  life  ?     No,  sir. 

Was  this  a  passenger  train  ?      A  passenger  engine. 

How  many  passengers  were  attached  to  it  ?  If  I 
remember  right  there  was  ten  or  eleven. 

Where  was  your  run — from  what  place  ?  From 
Aurora  to  Chicago. 

Commissioner  Marsh:  There  is  the  air  guage,  is 
there  not  ?     A.     There  is  an  air  guage. 

Let  me  ask  you,  is  it  the  duty  of  an  engineer  to 
watch  the  air  guage  as  well  as  watch  his  steam  guage? 
I  should  think  he  ought  to. 

Why  didn't  you  do  it  ?  Well,  I  don't  really  know 
why  I  didn't.     The  time  is  so  short. 

Was  it  because  you  were  not  accustomed  to  running 
an  engine  ?     Well,  that  may  have  been  the  case. 

If  you  had  been  accustomed  to  running  an  engine — 
a  locomotive — do  you  think  you  would  have  noticed 
that  air  guage  ?     I  would  have  been  more  apt  to. 

When  you  reversed  your  engine  and  was  approach- 


RAILWAY    AND    WAREHOUSE    COMMISSIONERS.      38 1 

ing  your  train  ?  I  would  have  been  more  apt  to  if  I 
had  the  practice  every  day. 

J.  A.  Murray,  locomotive  engineer  of  thirteen  years' 
service,  residing  at  Rock  Island,  testified  that  Frank 
Hamilton,  Frank  Horn,  Joseph  Roach,  J.  Lobstein, 
Harry  Zimmerman,  and  William  Patterson,  running 
engines  on  the  C,  B.  &  Q  railroad,  were  brakemen, 
conductors,  and  baggagemen,  respectively;  that  he  was 
acquainted  with  them  all  for  eight  to  ten  years,  and 
that  they  were  inexperienced  as  engineers  or  firemen. 

Frank  Hamilton,  witness  on  behalf  of  the  C,  B.  & 
Q.  railroad  company,  testified:  Q.  Give  your  full 
name  ?     A.     Frank  Hamilton. 

What  is  your  business  ?  Formerly  conductor  until 
the  10th  of  last  month;  now  I  am  running  an  engine. 

Conductor  on  the  C,  B.  &  Q.?  Yes,  sir: St.  Louis 
division. 

How  long  have  you  been  a  railroad  man  ?  For  the 
C,  B.  &  Q.  company,  running  a  train  since  November, 
1880,  with  the  exception  of  five  months,  up  until  the 
10th  of  last  month. 

Have  you  been  examined  as  to  the  manipulation  of 
an  engine  ?     To  a  certain  extent. 

Bv  whom  ?     Mr.  Wallace. 

Is  Mr.  Wallace  here  ?     Mr.  Wallace  is  here. 

Cross-examination  by  Mr.  Sullivan : 

Q.  You  never  got  any  technical  instruction  as  to 
the  running  of  an  engine  in  your  life,  did  you  ?  A. 
Explain  that  word,  please. 

You  never  got  any  instruction  in  the  shop  from 
those  who  manufacture  engines  and  are  familiar  with 
their  detail  ?     No,  sir. 


382  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

You  don't  understand  the  meaning  of  the  word 
technical  yourself  ?     I  do,  yes,  sir. 

Why  do  you  want  me  to  explain  it?  Because  I  want 
to  understand. 

Witness  testified  that  he  had  been  handling  engines 
off  and  on  ever  since  he  had  been  on  the  road. 

Q.  What  you  mean  is  you  jumped  on,  would  go 
on  when  the  regular  engineer  in  charge  was  there  ? 
A.     Yes,  sir. 

And  the  fireman  in  charge  wa3  there  ?  I  run  the 
engine  a  certain  distance. 

You  were  allowed  to  handle  it  in  their  presence 
just  as  many  others  are  allowed  ?     Yes,  sir. 

Do  you  mean  to  tell  this  commission  on  your  oath 
that  in  that  way  you  acquired  sufficient  knowledge  to 
make  you  a  competent  engineer  ?  That  is  the  way 
from  what  I  understand,  to  learn  to  be  an  engineer. 
The  way  they  all  get  to  be  engineers. 

Where  were  you  examined  ?  The  principal  place 
was  in  the  building  where  the  general  officers  are. 

How  long  after  that  was  it  before  you  were  put  in 
charge  of  an  engine  since  you  got  this  instruction  ?  I 
took  an  engine  on  the  10th  of  last  month,  and  I  run  up 
to  yesterday. 

When  was  your  examination  ?     To-day. 

You  were  examined  to-day  ?     Yes,  sir. 

Was  this  the  first  examination  that  took  place  ? 
This  is  the  first. 

You  were  not  examined  before  you  were  put  in 
charge  of  an  engine  ?     No,  sir. 

As  an  engineer  or  fireman  ?     I  did  not. 

Did  you  ever  perform  the  duties  of  an  engineer  or 


RAILWAY    AND    WAREHOUSE    COMMISSIONERS.      383 

firemen  at  any  time  in  your  life,  before  this  date   on 
any  road  ?     That  is  to  draw  pay  for  it  ? 

To  draw  pay  for  it  and  perform  its  duties  regularly  ? 
No,  sir. 

It  was  stated  repeatedly  by  the  officials  that  "no 
men  were  taken  without  thorough  examination"  and 
some  said,  "none  were  taken  who  had  not  had  at 
least  a  year's  experience  as  locomotive  engineers." 

Something  had  to  be  said  to  quiet  the  fears  of  the 
public  and  the  Burlington  officials  did  their  full  duty 
in  doing  whatever  was  necessary  to  defeat  the  Broth- 
erhood. Had  they  followed  their  rules,  which  were  in 
use  prior  to  Feb.  27,  they  could  not  possibly  have 
tilled  their  places.  The  Brotherhood  felt  that  the  tight' 
was  unfair,  and  they  secured  an  investigation  both  in 
Illinois  and  Iowa,  by  the  railroad  commissioners,  to 
show  what  kmd  of  men  they  were  taking  so  that  the 
public  might  know  how  much  one  side  was  adhering 
to  their  principles  and  the  other  violating  them.  The 
report  of  the  railroad  commissioners  of  Iowa  was 
made  to  Governor  Larrabee  which  induced  the  Gover- 
nor to  write  the  following  letter: 

Des  Moines,  Iowa,  March  10,  1S88. 

C.  E.  Perkins,  President  C,  B.  &  Q.  R.  R. 

'•Frequent  complaints  have  of  late  been  made 
to  me  concerning  the  interruption,  caused  by  the  strike 
of  the  engineers  and  firemen  on  your  road,  as  well  as 
the  danger  arising  from  the  employment  of  incompe- 
tent substitutes  for  such  employes.  The  inconven- 
ience and  disappointment  which  the  present  state  of 
affairs  causes  to  the  traveling  public,  and  the  loss 
which   commerce,   in  divers  ways    sustains,    are    such 


384  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

that  further  delay,  in  adjustment  of  the  difficulties  ex- 
isting between  the  management  of  the  C,  B.  &  Q. 
road  and  its  striking  employes,  would  be  a  manifest  in- 
justice to  the  people  of  our  state.  In  the  territory 
controlled  by  your  road,  traffic  is  deranged  and  travel 
inconvenienced  to  such  an  extent  as  to  demand  a 
speedy  solution  of  the  difficulty.  I  therefore  appeal  to 
you  in  behalf  of  the  people  of  Iowa,  to  make  every 
effort  possible  to  come  to  an  understanding  with  the 
strikers.  It  appears  to  me  that  even  self-interest 
should  dictate  such  a  course  to  you,  and  especially  as 
your  company  can  be  held  responsible  for  damages 
caused  by  failure  to  furnish  reasonable  facilities  tor  the 
transaction  of  business  on  your  lines  of  road;  allow  me 
to  suggest,  that  unless  you  soon  succeed  in  some  way 
to  secure  a  settlement,  you  submit  the  case  to  arbitra- 
tion." '  Yours  Respectfully,  * 

William  Larrabee. 
The  Burlington  officials  were  not  inclined    to    arbi- 
tration.    They  were  going  to  fight  it  out  regardless  of 
damage  or  inconvenience. 

1  Creston  Advertiser. 


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P3 


CHAPTER  XLVII. 

DESTRUCTION    AND    DISCORD. 

"At  Aurora,  111.,  March  27,  at  8:15  p.  m.,  the  whis- 
tle at  the  Burlington  shops  was  blown  as  a  tire  alarm, 
and  in  a  few  seconds  a  lurid  flame  shot  up  into  the  sky, 
and  it  was  easy  to  be  seen  that  one  of  the  large 
buildings  of  the  Burlington  shops  was  on  tire.  It 
proved  to  be  the  coach  paint  department  structure, 
which  was  entirely  destroyed  inside  of  an  hour.  The 
firemen  worked  hard  and  did  noble  service  in  prevent- 
ing the  blaze  from  spreading  to  the  surrounding 
buildings,  many  of  which  were  afire  a  dozen  times  or 
more.  The  demolished  shop  was  only  built  a  year  or 
so  before,  was  90  x  330  feet,  and  one  half  of  it 
had  been  partitioned  off  for  hotel  purposes  by  the 
company  for  the  accommodation  of  the  new  engineers 
recently  employed." 

"Berths  were  provided  for  216  men,  and  more  than 
half  that  number  were  in  the  building,  when  the  fire 
started.  They  were  forced  to  jump  from  their  beds 
and  get  out  the  best  they  could.  A  new  pay  car  just 
completed  at  a  cost  of  $4,000,  and  six  coaches,  were 
destroyed,  as  were  the  tools  of  the  men.  The  loss 
was  fully  $50,000.  The  fire  was  caused  by  the  ex- 
plosion of  a  kerosene  lamp.  According  to  the  report  of 
one  of  the  night  watchmen,  when  the  lamp  exploded  in 
the  varnish  room,  used  as  lamp  room,  it  was  at  once  dis- 
covered by  night  watchman   John  Lowe,  and    special 


$86  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

policeman  Quackenbush,  who  in  attempting  to  wipe 
out  the  fire  with  a  pair  of  overalls  scattered  it  so 
much  that  the  room  was  all  ablaze  in  a  few  seconds. 
The  inflammable  froods  which  were  stored  there  caused 
a  conflagration  that  was  absolutely  uncontrollable,  and 
only  prompt  action  confined  the  destruction  to  the 
building  in  which  the  fire  originated."1  In  speaking  of 
this  fire,  Mr.  Morton  said:  "We  have  not  the  least 
doubt  that  this  thing  was  the  work  of  the  Aurora 
strikers.  Perhaps  they  wanted  to  damage  the  com- 
pany, but  I  think  their  main  object  was  to  burn  out 
the  new  men  who  were  housed  there."2  This  was 
enough  from  which  to  manufacture  a  specific  charge 
that  the  strikers  burned  the  paint  shop.  It  being  im- 
possible to  give  the  same  notorietv  to  the  facts,  as  had 
been  given  to  the  first  report,  that  charge  is  still  in  the 
minds  of  many,  and  is  still  doing  injustice  to  those 
men,  as  I  heard  the  charge  repeated  in  July,  1889.  "A 
committee  was  appointed  by  the  mayor  of  Aurora  to 
investigate  the  cause  and  they  found  that  the  evidence 
all  proved  that  the  fire  started  in  the  corner  of  the 
room  where  the  lamps  were  trimmed;  that  there  was 
no  evidence  that  a  combustible  was,  or  could  have 
been,  thrown  into  that  part  of  the  building;  that  there 
was  no  evidence  of  assaults  or  riotous  conduct  during 
the  fire,  and  that  the  fire  was  undoubtedly  of  an  acci- 
dental origin.  R.  W.  Gates.  John  F.  Thorwarth, 
committee." 

In  the  excitement  of  the  time  it  was  natural,  to 
charge  everything  to  the  strikers,  and  such  charges 
were  easier  made  and  believed  than  the  truth  was, 
when  found  out. 

1  Aurora  (111.)  Express.         2  Chicage  Tribune. 


DESTRUCTION    AND    DISCORD.  387 

The  Burlington  had  built  a  temporary  boarding 
house  in  Chicago  for  the  new  men.  Mr.  Morton  said: 
"We  have  found  it  necessary  to  put  up  temporary 
barracks  for  these  men  and  place  them  under  prote<  - 
tidn.'"  But  we  would  rather  mistrust  that  the  real 
difficulty  was  shown  in  the  following: 

A    THREE  CORNERED    FIGHT. 

[■HE  NEW  SWITCHMEN,  the    PINKERTON   FORCES,   AND  THE   CITY 
POLICE    DO    NOT    PULL   TOGETHER. 

"  There  is  at  present  a  great  deal  of  ill  feeling 
among  the  non-union  switchmen,  the  city  police,  and 
thePinkerton  men  at  the  Western  avenue  yards  of  the 
'  Q'  road.  The  feud  arose  some  time  ago  when  the 
Pinkerton  men  showed  signs  of  dissatisfaction  when 
they  were  put  in  too  close  contact  with  the  new 
switchmen,  who  were  classed  as  being  '  a  set  of  tramps  * 
by  the  tony  deputies.  As  soon  as  the  switchmen  found 
out  that  their  company  was  not  desired  by  the  Pinker- 
tons,  they  immediately  took  the  part  of  aggressors  and 
seemed  anxious  that  a  crisis  should  be  reached.  The 
deputies  learned  that  the  switchmen  were  not  in  a 
very  healthy  sanitary  condition  and  did  not  associate 
with  them  at  all.  Even  on  the  trips  over  the  road  the 
deputies  would  try  to  keep  a  couple  of  car-lengths 
away  from  those  occupied  by  the  switchmen.  At  meal 
times  a  Pinkerton  man  and  a  '  Q '  switchman  can 
never  be  found  sitting  at  the  same  table.  When  all 
the  seats  are  taken,  except  one  near  the  deputies,  a 
switchman  will  never  take  it,  but  wait  until  some 
other  seat  is  vacated  so  that  he  will  not  sit  near  pne  of 
his  guardians."" 

"  The  matter  reached  a  most  bitter  state   when  the 

J  '  1  Chicago  Tribune. 


388  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

city  police  became  involved  in  it.  They  not  only  re- 
fused to  associate  with  the  deputies  but  with  the 
switchmen  also.  They  set  up  a  general  protest  when 
they  learned  that  the  switchmen  were  infested  by  a 
tribe  of  vermin,  which  proved  to  be  very  irritating 
after  a  few  day's  sojourn  in  camp." ' 

It  is  possible  boarding  houses  might  not  want  such 
company.  The  crowding  process  of  the  Burlington 
officials  under  the  inter-state  commerce  law  created 
much  feeling  between  the  Burlington  officials  and  those 
of  other  roads.  A  case  was  brought  against  the  Chi- 
cago, Rock  Island  &  Pacific,  to  compel  them  to  handle 
Burlington  cars.  "  The  Rock  Island's  attorney,  Rob- 
ert Lincoln,  made  answer  charging  the  Burlington 
with  cutting  rates  to  compel  the  formation  of  a  trust  in 
violation  of  the  inter-state  law. 

"Attorney  Withrow  said  they  could  also  prove  the  Bur- 
lington refused  concessions  to  its  men  allowed  by  other 
roads,  merely  to  bring  about  a  general  strike,  and  put 
competing  roads  in  a  mood  to  submit  to  the  Burling- 
ton. If  we  have  made  any  wrong  charges,  he  said,  it 
is  the  power  of  this  company  to  put  us  in  confusion 
before  the  whole  world  by  going  before  a  master. 
The  Burlington  makes  a  pet  aversion  of  the  Brother- 
hood of  Engineers.  Now  we  may  get  indignant  as 
much  as  we  please  at  the  so  called  despotism  of  these 
organizations,  but  we  have  been  living  under  the  des- 
potism of  coal  combinations  and  cotton  combinations, 
and  the  like;  now  this  combination  of  the  engineers  is 
alegalone.  They  have  the  right  to  quit  work.  After 
six  weeks  scouring,  if  the  Burlington  can't  get  compe- 
tent engineers,  what  prospect  is  there  for  us,  or  for 

1  Chicago  Mail,  April  3,  1888. 


DESTRUCTION    AM)    DISCORD.  389 

another  road,  if  we  provoke  a  quarrel  with  our  men? 
Continuing,  he  said,  the  Burlington  had  so  much  of  the 
Boston  flavor  about  it,  that  it  fancied  all  other  roads 
were  run  for  its  convenience,  and  it  would  not  do 
what  it  wanted  others  to  do.  The  Rock  Island  was 
solvent  and  might  better  pay  for  the  cars  than  stop  its 
whole  system  and  injure  thousands  of  people."  ' 

"At  the  conclusion  Judge  Gresham  said,  even  if  the 
allegations  made  by  the  Rock  Island  were  true,  it  did 
not  relieve  that  road  from  its  duty  as  a  common  carri- 
er. Again,  he  did  not  think  the  Rock  Island  had  re- 
fused to  do  its  duty.  The  '  Q '  did  not  need  protection 
from  this,  its  strongest  competitor.  As  there  was  no 
danger  of  injury  accruing  to  the  '  Q  '  road,  no  injunc- 
tion would  be  issued  just  now.  The  future  develop- 
ments, he  said,  might  alter  this. 

The  unpleasantness  of  the  strike  penetrated  high 
quarters.  Everybody  was  in  a  mental  state  to  make 
strong  statements.  With  the  boycott  raised,  the  case 
was  dropped  by  mutual  consent.  The  strike  was  off  on 
all  otner  lines,  and  the  Burlington  had  given  notice  there 
would  be  no  more  pilots.  Business  was  expected  to  be 
good  on  the  Burlington,  as  the  gates  were  once  more 
opened.  The  men  employed  by  the  Burlington  were 
charged  with  incompetency  by  the  Brotherhood,  which 
was  strenuously  denied  by  the  Burlington.  There  is 
an  old  saying  that  the  workman  is  known  by  his  chips. 
We  have  already  recorded  several  mishaps.  ■  We  shall 
try  to  give  only  important  ones,  so  that  the  readers 
may  judge  for  themselves,  whether  incompetent  labor 
is  profitable  in  railroad  service.  We  have  said  before 
that  wrecks  were  avoided  in  a  very  great  measure  by 

1  Report  of  Chicago  Times. 


39° 


THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 


the  presence  of  pilots,  who  were  old  trainmen,  and 
many  engines  were  kept  from  being  burned  by  the 
same  assistance,  but  engines  were  burned  and  plenty 
of  them.  More  grates  were  burned  in  one  week, 
than  before  the  strike  in  one  year.  On  the  Hannibal 
cSr  St.  Joseph  division,  first  week,  engine  No.  20  was 
run  through  the  roundhouse  at  Kansas  City,  knock- 
ing down  wall  and  landing  in  the  street.  Engine  29, 
burned  very  badly;  flues  had  to  be  reset.  Engine  66 
on  passenger  train,  after  going  five  miles,  could  go  no 
farther;  could  not  work  injector;  master  mechanic  took 
switch  engine  and  went  after  him  to  show  him  how.  In 
March,  engine  67,  had  injector  pipes  frozen  up,  bursted, 
engine  towed  back  to  Brookfield,  dead.  Engine  39, 
passenger  train  No.  3,  Engineer  Reed,  Conductor 
Fitzgerald,  was  lost  to  dispatcher  between  Round 
Grove  and  Macon.  After*  a  long  time  waiting  engine 
came  into  Macon  without  train,  could  just  get  on  to 
side  track,  another  engine  was  sent  for  and  the  39 
remained  on  siding  for  a  week  before  it  was  taken  away. 
Query.     What  could  have  been  the  matter  with  it  ? 

Engine  34.  Cooked  at  Utica,  Mo.;  engine  was 
tried  after  thirty  to  forty  days'  work  was  put  on 
boiler,  but  could  not  use  engine  and  had  it  to  be  sent  to 
general  shops. 

Engine  54.  Engineer  Jones  smashed  up  tank  while 
doubling  New  Cambria  Hill,  by  running  into  train. 

Engine  78,  light  engine,  Engineer  Phillips,  Pilot 
Gahagan,  ran  into  hind  end  of  No.  11  standing  at  sta- 
tion at  Meadville,  Mo.,  smashing  front  end  of  engine 
and  disabling  way  car. 

Engine  33.    Engineer  Sharritt,  Conductor  Flaharty, 


DESTRUCTION    AND    DISCORD.  39 1 

ran  into  Rock  Island  train  No  17,  at  Prairie  Tank,  Mo., 
losing-  front  end  head  light  and  stack,  besides  damage 
to  Rock  Island  train.      No  one  discharged. 

March  27,  at  12:45  a.  m.,  Charles  Poole,  a  switch- 
man, was  killed  in  Brookfield  yard,  Farley  engineer. 
Poole  was  jerked  off  car  and  run  over.  Coroner  was 
not  notified,  and  body  was'  shipped  to  his  relations  in 
Illinois  without  inquest.  Poole  lived  fifty-two  hours; 
was  nursed  by  Martin  Culleton. 

April — Engine  34,  Engineer  Simpson,  Conductor 
Garrity.  ran  into  rear  of  train  No.  9,  breaking  up  front 
end  of  engine,  and  causing  such  damage  as  naturally 
accompanies  such  accidents. 

Engine  37,  Engineer  Wood,  Conductor  Birdsall, 
engine  broke  down  at  Breckenridge.  Wood,  in  trying 
to  disconnect,  cut  off  bolt  heads  in  strap  and  tried  to 
drive  the  bolts  down  through.  Every  engineer  will 
appreciate  his  difficulties  in  this  effort  with  a  tapered 
bolt,  but  he  did  not  propose  to  be  behind  the  times,  so 
he  took  a  chisel  and  drove  under  strap  and  pried  it 
up,  and  straightened  it  to  get  it  off. 

Engines  1  and  48  collided  in  Brookfield  yard:  loss, 
two  cylinders.  Engine  43  was  run  into  turn  table  pit 
at  Winthrop,  Mo.  Engine  65,  off  switch  at  Cameron, 
lost  pilot.  Engine  67  lost  pilot  in  yard  at  St.  Joseph, 
Mo.  Engine  61  broke  spring  hanger  at  Osborn,  de- 
laved  train  two  hours  and  twenty  minutes.  If  we  add 
to  this,  a  large  list  of  grates  burned,  eccentrics  cut, 
guides  cut,  brasses  burned  out,  incompetent  disconnect- 
and  blocking  of  guides,  that  did  more  damage 
than  the  original  break,  you  may  form  some  idea  of 
what  was  being  done  in  the  way  of  expense.     I  men- 


3£>2  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKI.. 

tion  the  Hannibal  &  St.  Joseph  because  of  my  own 
knowledge  and  belief  that  every  allegation  is  true.  I 
have  left  out  many  minor  accidents,  and  all  that  appear 
of  a  natural  occurrence,  and  not  chargeable  to  incom- 
pete%v. 

April — Engine  27,  Engineer  Clift,  Conductor  Wilder, 
passenger  train  No.  2,  came  into  yard  at  Brookfield, 
ran  past  the  station,  engineer  and  fireman  both  very 
drunk.      Hostler    was    sent    to  take  care  of  engine. 

Collision  two  and  one-half  miles  east  of  Brookfield, 
between  engines  55,  Engineer  Woodlief,  and  engine  69, 
Engineer  Toppin,  Conductor  Baily.  Toppin  and  Baily 
had  orders  to  meet  No.  13  at  Brookfield,  a  train  pulled 
in  which  they  took  for  No.  13  and  they  pulled  out  and 
made  a  meeting  point  for  themselves.  They  \\  ere  laid 
off,  I  think,  thirty  days;  with  the  old  men  it  would  have 
been  thirty  years.     The  report  along  the  line  shows: 

At  Monroe,  Thursday,  April  5,  engines  22  and  49 
engaged  in  a  bumping  match,  and  both  will  be  in  the 
shops  many  days.  In  both  these  wrecks  the  competent 
men  jumped  and  saved  their  lives. 

At  Bristol,  Friday,  April  6,  engine  175  ran  into  a  local 
freight  and  demolished  fourteen  box  cars. 

Galesburg  reports  a  little  $2,000  collision  between 
engines  55  and  162.*'  ' 

The  following  is  from  a  paper  printed  in  New  Cam- 
bria, Mo.,  where  the  accident  happened  April  4. 

LAST    NIGHT'S    WRECK. 

TWO   MEN    SERIOUSLY,    IF    NOT    FATALLY,    INJURED. 

A  disastrous  wreck  occurred  at  this  place  at  12 
o'clock  last  night.  The  first  section  of  freight  train 
No.  10  was  standing  on  the  main    track    waiting  for 

1  St.  Joseph  Oazette. 


DESTRUCTION    AND    DISCORD.  393 

orders  when  the  second  section  ran  into  them.  The 
engine  completely  telescoped  the  caboose  of  the  first 
train,  and  smashed  up  twelve  freight  cars.  A  stock- 
man by  the  name  of  Robt.  C.  Auld,  from  Pinkney, 
Mich.,  was  in  the  caboose  asleep.  His  hands,  face 
and  parts  of  his  body  were  badly  scalded  by  the  es- 
caping steam,  and  he  barely  escaped  being  burned  to 
death  as  the  wreck  took  fire  immediately.  Engineer 
Markham,  who  was  pulling  the  second  section  with 
engine  20,  stood  at  his  post  and  escaped  uninjured. 
His  fireman,  E.  S.  Robbins,  of  Denver,  Colorado, 
jumped  and  was  struck  in  the  back  by  a  box  car.  He 
is  seriously,  but  it  is  thought  not  fatally  injured.  The 
two  injured  men  are  being  cared  for  at  the  Wallace 
house,  by  Dr.  T.  H.  Hughes.  Brakeman  Theihoff  was 
on  the  caboose  but  jumped  off  just  in  time  to  save  his 
life.  Brakeman  Sevy,  whose  home  is  in  Clarence, 
was  thrown  from  the  top  of  the  train  but  escaped  with 
only  a  few  scratches.  The  caboose,  an  empty  box- 
car and  two  cars  of  corn  were  totally  destroyed  by 
fire,  and  the  engine  is  a  complete  wreck.  The  wreck- 
ing train  arrived  from  Brookfield  at  2:30,  and  at  6 
o'clock  the  side  track  was  cleared  so  as  to  let  the 
night  passengers  by.  The  signal  lights  on  the  ca- 
boose could  be  seen  for  at  least  three  fourths  of  a 
mile,  and  if  the  engineer  had  called  for  brakes  when 
he  first  saw  the  lights  the  train  might  easily  have  been 
stopped. 

A  bad  accident  occurred  at  Pacific  Junction  at  3 
o'clock  this  morning  (12th  inst.)  The  Burlington  & 
Missouri  train  did  not  stop  for  the  Kansas  City,  St. 
Joseph  &  Council  Bluffs   crossing.     Engine  353   was 


394 


THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 


standing  on  the  other  side  of  the  crossing,  and  was 
struck  by  the  B.  &  M.  engine  between  the  tank  and 
engine,  and  smashed  the  tank:  engine  353  broke  from 
her  tank,  as  the  throttle  was  wide  open,  and  went 
"wild"  down  the  track,  without  an  engineer  or  fire- 
man, and  went  into  some  cars  in  her  way  up  to  her 
home.     The  engine  is  a  complete  wreck. 

Creston,  Ia.,  April  15. — The  fast  mail  train  on 
the  Burlington  road  collided  with  a  freight  about  one 
mile  west  of  here  early  this  morning,  on  a  curve  just 
beyond  a  bridge,  and  the  engineer  of  the  passenger  train 
had  only  time  to  apply  the  air  brakes  before  jumping. 
C.  A.  Shoot,  fireman  of  the  freight  train  was  instantly 
killed  and  the  engineer,  J.  M.  Osborne,  was  slightly 
injured.  Brakeman  Henry  Gibbons  had  a  leg  crushed 
and  L.  J.  Miller  was  internally  injured.  Both  en- 
gines were  totallv  wrecked.  Two  mail  cars  were 
thrown  down  an  embankment  and  burned,  together 
with  the  bridge.  The  mail  clerks  were  rescued  unin- 
jured. 

The  coroner's  jury  in  this  case  rendered  a  verdict  as 
follow's:  "Said  jurors  upon  their  oath  do  say,  after 
having  heard  the  evidence,  and  examined  the  said 
body:  We  find  that  the  deceased  came  to  his  death  on 
the  15th  day  of  April  A.  D.,  1888,  by  a  collision  abouj 
4:30  o'clock  a.  m.  between  freight  train  No.  12  go- 
ing east,  and  passenger  train  No.  5  going  west,  at  a 
point  about  one  and  one-half  miles  west  of  Creston  depot, 
deceased  being  employed  as  fireman  on  said  freight 
train,  and  we  further  find  that  the  collision  was  caused 
by  the  negligence  of  Conductor  Seymour  Armstrong, 
and  by  gross  negligence  and  incompetencv  of  engineer 


DESTRUCTION    AND    DISCORD.  395 

J.  M.  Osborne.  The  negligence  of  conductor  Ann- 
strong  consists  in  his  falling  asleep  while  on  duty,  but 
from  the  evidence  we  find  that  he  had  been  kept  on 
duty  continuously  for  about  fifty-four  hours,  which  in 
the  minds  of  the  jury  would  unfit  him  for  the  respon- 
sibilities; and  we  further  find  Engineer  Osborne  was 
grossly  negligent  in  running  his  engine  without  time, 
his  watch  having  run  down  at  2:55  a.  m.,  two  minutes 
before  leaving  Corning  station,  as  shown  by  the  train 
record.  We  further  find  him  incompetent  as  an  engi- 
neer, from  his  lack  of  knowledge  to  construe  the  time 

as-shown  by  the  time  card.  " 

(  J.  R.  Powers, 

Jurors.    \  W.  N.  Kellv, 

(     A.  Wilson." 

The  verdict  fixed  the  blame  chiefly  upon  the  scab 
engineer,  J.  M.  Osborne,  who  was  pronounced  grossly 
negligent  and  incompetent.  Regarding  the  latter  qual- 
ity the  following  facts  were  brought  out: 

"He  had  run  on  west  division  since  March  17,  but 
did  not  yet  know  the  names  of  all  stations  without 
schedule  or  distance  between  stations.  Named  five 
stations  between  Council  Bluffs  and  Creston:  could 
not  say  whether  Cromwell  was  registering  station  or 
not;  run  through  Cromwell  because  he  was  signaled 
to  go  ahead,  he  thought,  by  the  operator." 

He  looked  at  his  watch  and  time  card  at  Cromwell, 
and  it  was  2:55  exactly.  He  had  two  hours  to  make 
Creston  from  Nodaway,  twenty  miles.  He  was  pos- 
itive of  the  time  at  Cromwell.  He  was  more  careful 
this  trip  than  any  that  he  had  ever  made  before,  be- 
cause he  had  had  such  bad  luck.     Had  only  made  two 


396  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

trips  without  a  pilot;  run  an  engine  on  Lehigh  Valley 
about  the  year  of  Centennial  and  had  run  no  loco- 
motive since.  Run  stationary  engine  at  Homer,  N.  Y., 
before.  Did  not  know  what  time  he  was  due  at 
Cromwell.  He  arrived  there  at  2:55.  He  was  pret- 
ty well  acquainted  with  the  road  and  grades  on  the 
west  end. 

"St.  Joe.,  Mo.,  April  18. — Engineers  at  this  point 
are  very  scarce.  The  Burlington  is  having  a  great 
many  accidents.  Train  No.  17  and  train  No.  20 
collided  and  damaged  both  engines  badly.  Eight  or 
ten  box  cars  were  thrown  in  the  ditch." 

"Beatrice,  Neb.,  April  19. — Burlington  business 
at  this  point  is  very  light.  Engines  Nos.  4  and  33 
collided  in  the  yards  this  morning,  and  both  engines 
are  total  wrecks.  The  engineer  on  33  was  running 
about  thirty  miles  an  hour  through  the  yards. 

"Galesburg,  III,.,  April  20. — Bad  wreck  in  yard 
to-night.  Engine  367  and  passenger  engine  33  col- 
lided, and  both  engines  are  total  wrecks." 

"Creston,  Ia.,  April  20. — The  following  engines 
are  burnt  at  this  point:  Engines  35,  392,  422,  248. 
Engine  248  was  on  the  fast  mail  and  played  out  near 
Pacific  Transfer.  A  switch  engine  had  to  pull  the  fast 
mail  in." 

"Quincy,  III.,  April  20. — Passenger  No.  1  and 
freight  collided  here;  both  engines  total  wrecks;  also 
engine  45  came  in  on  one  side."1 

On  the  26  a  special,  with  Burlington  officials  aboard, 
drawn  by  engine  139,  ran  through  a  switch  at  West 
Quincy,  and  all  turned  over  in  the  ditch,  the  occupants 
were  badly  shaken  up,  the  fireman  was  badly  injured. 

«  Chicago  World. 


DESTRUCTION    AND    DISCORD.  39J 

There  were  hundreds  of  minor  mishaps  that  were 
chargeable  to  incompetency.  We  only  give  the  more 
expensive  and  dangerous  for  the  sake  of  comparison, 
so  the  reader  may  judge  which  is  the  cheaper,  good 
wages  and  competent  labor,  or  incompetent  labor, 
and  the  disaster  that  accompanies  it  for  the  sake  of  sav- 
ing, "We  run  our  own  business  and  allow  no  dictation 
or  arbitration."  In  Harpers  Weekly  of  April  21,  appears 
an  article  from  Mr.  W.  D.  Howells,  a  writer  known  and 
read  from  one  end  of  the  Union  to  the  other.  lie 
writes  from  the  standpoint  of  a  stockholder  in  the  C, 
B.  &  Q.  railroad,  takes  decided  grounds  in  favor  of 
arbitration,  and  is  not  flattering  to  that  management,  in 
the  last  paragraph,  which  persists  in  looking  upon  a 
railroad's  affairs  as  private  affairs.  His  article  is  as 
follows  : 

"  With  grief  that  I  think  must  be  shared  by  a  good 
many  other  holders  of  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy 
stock,  I  saw  that  stock  go  down  from  129  to  112 
under  the  effect  of  the  private  war  waged  between  the 
railroad  and  its  engineers  and  switchmen.  I  am  told 
by  the  press  that  the  loss  was  through  the  fault  of 
these  employes  of  the  road,  and  that  its  officers  illus- 
trated a  beneficent  principle  in  standing  firm  against 
them  and  refusing  their  demands.  The  principle  was 
that  the  road  had  a  right  to  manage  its  private  affairs 
in  its  own  way." 

"  But  here,  I  think,  is  an  error.  A  railroad  has, 
strictly  speaking,  no  private  affairs.  It  is  a  corpora- 
tion which  in  return  for  certain  franchises  has  assumed 
certain  obligations,  and  before  all  corporate  rights  it 
has  these   public  duties.     It  ought  to   consider  these 


398  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

alwavs,  and  from  the  beginning;  but  it  is  said  that 
when  early  in  the  war  the  opposite  faction  offered  to 
submit  its  claims  to  arbitration,  the  officers  of  the  C, 
I).  &  Q.  replied  that  there  was  nothing  to  arbitrate. 
If  this  was  true,  it  is  a  great  pit)-,  and  I  believe  a  great 
mistake.  There  is  no  question  here  of  the  road's 
treatment  of  its  employes,  but  if  these  thought  them- 
selves underpaid,  and  the  road  thought  they  paid  them 
enough,  it  was  the  very  moment  for  arbitration." 

"  That  truly  christian  device  for  averting  public  war 
has  now  been  successfully  tried,  and  it  seems  to  me  it 
would  have  been  well  to  use  it  in  the  danger  of  the 
private  war  which  has  embarassed  travel  and  com- 
merce on  the  Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy,  and 
spread  loss  far  and  wide.  It  is  in  qualitv  of  a  timid 
capitalist  that  I  write;  and  I  wish  to  say  that  I  have  no 
particular  affection  for  the  Brotherhood  of  Engineers; 
it  has  before  now  shown  itself  short-sighted  and  selfish, 
and  in  its  betrayal  by  the  Knights  of  Labor  it  is  said 
to  be  paying  the  penalty  of  a  treason  of  its  own.  But 
however  this  may  be,  it  is  unquestionably  a  power 
lawfully  organized  for  defense  and  offense,  and  it  was 
the  part  of  policy  for  the  opposing  force  to  recognize 
its  strength.  It  was  also  a  duty  to  do  this  in  view  of 
its  obligations  to  the  public,  which  neither  of  the 
belligerents  in  the  case  has  considered.  The  road  was 
bound  to  come  to  any  tolerable  accommodation  with 
its  employes,  so  that  the  public  might  not  suffer.  The 
quarrel,  so  far  as  it  concerned  the  engineers,  was 
between  them  and  the  road;  but  as  concerned  the 
road,  it  did  not  end  there;  the  community  was  an  im- 
mediate   sufferer    from    its  impolicy — -the    community 


DESTRUCTION    AND    DISCORD. 


399 


which  had  a  sovereign  claim  upon  its  service." 

"When  the  strike  began,  I  suppose  that  nearly 
every  humane  person  said  to  himself,  '  Well  between 
men  who  want  to  make  a  better  living  and  a  corpo- 
ration that  wants  to  make  more  money  I  can  have  no 
choice.'  I  said  something  like  this  myself,  not  re- 
membering my  C,  B.  &  Q.  stock  in  my  magnanimity. 
But  of  course  when  the  strike  came,  as  strikes  must, 
to  involve  violence,  the  general  sentiment  changed, 
and  many  lectures  have  been  read  to  the  engineers  on 
their  misbehavior,  but.  to  the  road  none.  That  is  my 
reason  for  attempting  to  read  it  a  little  one  now,  to 
remind  it  that  it  is  the  creature  of  public  favor,  with 
duties  to  the  public  which  it  had  no  right  to  fail  in 
through  any  mistaken  sense  of  its  corporate  dignity  or 
interest.  I  dare  say  that  the  engineers'  strike  against 
it  will  end,  as  all  strikes  have  hitherto  ended,  in  disas- 
ter to  the  strikers.  But  I  am  sure  that  strikes  will 
not  always  end  so.  It  is  only  a  question  of  time,  and 
of  a  very  little  time,  till  the  union  of  labor  shall  be  so 
perfect  that  nothing  can  defeat  it.  We  may  say  this 
will  be  a  very  good  time  or  a  very  bad  time;  all  the 
same  it  is  coming.  Then  the  question  will  come  with 
it:  Shall  the  railroads  fulfill  their  public  obligations  by 
agreement  with  their  employes,  or  shall  the  govern- 
ment take  possession  of  them  and  operate  them  ?  It 
is  folly  to  talk  of  the  withdrawal  of  capital,  and  the 
consequent  ruin  of  the  country.  The  country  belongs 
to  the  people,  and  they  are  not  going  to  let  it  be  ruined. 
Their  possession  of  the  railroad  would  involve  much 
trouble  and  anxiety,  but  the  railroad  receiver,  who  is 
an  agent  of  theirs,  is  not  unknown,    and  his  manage- 


400 


THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 


ment  of  roads  is  good;  so  that  the  puhlic  may  take 
heart  of  hope  if  the  worst  ever  comes  to  the  worst." 

"  But  let  us  understand  that  it  is  not  engineers  or 
switchmen  or  brakemen  who  can  bring  it  to  the  worst; 
it  is  only  directors,  and  managers,  and  presidents  who 
refuse  to  arbitrate,  and  wrho  forget  their  public  duties 
so  far  as  to  talk  of  a  railroad's  affairs  as  private 
affairs."  W  .  D.  Howells. 

Owing  to  the  natural  sympathies  of  the  people  in 
the  cities  along  the  line  where  they  were  best  acquaint- 
ed with  the  strikers,  the  company  threatened  to  move 
shops  away  or  close  them  up,  in  order  to  drive  them 
into  line,  and  compel  them  to  furnish  special  police  and 
stop  any  demonstration  in  the  strikers'  favor.  "  Gen- 
eral Superintendent  Brown,  at  Creston,  received  orders 
to  close  the  machine  shops  and  prepare  to  run  trains 
through  the  city,  if  the  authorities  did  not  take  imme- 
diate steps  to  protect  the  company's  employes."1 

The  strikers  had  some  of  the  new  employes  arrested 
for  carrying  concealed  weapons,  and  the  Creston 
Advertiser  of  April  3,  said;  "Superintendent  Duggan 
has  been  furnishing  security  for  thugs  and  bullies  con- 
victed of  carrying  concealed  weapons.  The  signifi- 
cance of  his  remarks  to  an  Advertiser  man,  that  there 
would  be  blood  spilled  over  this  yet,  is  beginning  to  be 
more  fully  understood,  and  we  are  now  convinced 
that  he  was  better  posted  on  the  claret  market  than 
the  press  representative.  Thanks  to  the  vigilance  of 
the  police,  his  braggart  employes  have,  as  yet,  failed 
to  carry  out  the  prophecy  of  their  superior."  This  threat 
to  boycott  the  cities  was  made  all  along  the  line.  At 
Brookfield,  Mo.,  a  threat  was  made  to  move  the  shops 

1  Ch  cago  Evening  News,  April  2,  1S88. 


DESTRUCTION    AND    DISCORD. 


4OI 


to  Chillicothe,  Mo.  This  scare  worked  on  the  minds 
of  the  people  so  that  at  the  municipal  election,  prohi- 
bitionists voted  the  free  whiskey  ticket,  because  the 
prohibition  candidate  was  an  honorary  member  of  the 
Brotherhood. 

Because  one  out  of  more  than  a  hundred  strikers 
at  Brookfield  had  committed  an  unmanly  and  unlawful 
act  in  striking  a  scab  with  his  walking  stick,  a  law 
and  order  meeting  was  called  "April  20,  1888,  at  2 
o'clock  p.  m.,  for  the  purpose  of  taking  such  action  as 
is  necessary  to  uphold  the  civil  authorities  of  our  city 
and  country  in  the  enforcement  of  law,  and  the  sup- 
pression of  vicious,  violent  idlers  in  our  midst."  '  This 
wholesale  condemnation  of  these  men  who  had  been 
citizens,  some  of  them  for  twenty-five  years,  created 
much  feeling.  •  As  it  was  a  call  for  citizens,  the  strik- 
ers attended  in  a  body,  and  were  there  promptly  at 
the  appointed  time,  and  occupied  the  reserved  seats. 

An  effort  had  been  made  to  get  as  good  an  attend- 
ance as  possible  by  those  issuing  the  call;  the  men  em- 
ployed in  the  company's  shops  were  invited,  and  a 
special  effort  was  made  to  have  the  new  men  there  to 
hear  the  good  things  to  be  said  to  them  and  the  bad 
things  said  of  the  strikers.  When  thev  came  and 
found  the  strikers  present — and  no  one  questioned 
their  right  there — it  was  a  great  drawback  to  their 
liberties  of  speech.  It  is  much  easier  to  say  hard 
things  of  one  absent,  than  present.  The  strikers 
went  as  listeners  only,  with  an  understanding  that  they 
should  neither  vote,  nor  talk ;  they  were  not  there  to 
disturb,  or  overawe  anyone:  they  were  there  to  find  out 
howbadthey  were.     The  meeting  was  called  to  order,  a 

;  Copy  of  call. 


402 


THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 


chairman  elected,  and  a  resolution  read  by  an  attorney 
— who  was  retained  by  the  company  as  its  legal 
advisor — condemning  lawlessness  and  the  strikers  by 
implication,  offering  taffy  to  the  railroad  officials  and  a 
hearty  welcome  to  the  new  men.  After  the  resolu- 
tion was  read  and  passed,  the  strikers  not  voting,  the 
chair  asked  if  there  was  any  further  business.  No 
speakers  responding  from  the  other  side,  the  strikers 
called  for  a  speaker,  who  responded  in,  a  short  speech 
questioning  the  justice  or  propriety  of  calling  a  meet- 
ing to  condemn  such  men  as  he  saw  before  him 
among  the  strikers,  who  had  been  with  the  city  and 
helped  build  it  from  its  infancy.  This  speech  pleased 
the  strikers,  and  put  a  wet  blanket  on  the  promoters 
of  the  meeting.  But  the  next  speaker  put  them  to 
route  with  ridicule,  and  a  motion  was  made  to  adjourn. 
The  new  men  present  did  not  like  the  outcome,  and 
after  the  meeting  adjourned  one  of  them,  named  Mur- 
ray, who  had  been  welcomed  to  the  city  by  the  reso- 
lution of  the  meeting,  ran  two  brakemen  off  the  streets 
with  his  revolver;  complaint  was  made  and  this  nice 
new  comer  was  taken  in  by  the  Marshal,  and  put 
under  $100  bond  to  appear  the  next  morning.  He 
appeared  the  next  morning  and  was  given  a  dose  of 
whitewash  and  let  go — no  cause  of  action.  The  strik- 
ers, after  such  a  wholesale  condemnation  by  the  law 
and  order  meeting,  did  not  like  this  one-sided  way  of 
doing ;  all  they  asked  was  that  the  law  should  take  its 
course  no  matter  what  it  hit.  And  they  sent  for  the 
assistant  prosecuting  attorney.  He,  finding  the  evi- 
dence abundant,  caused  Murray's  arrest  on  a  state 
warrant.     The  same  lawyer  who  read  the    resolution 


DESTRUCTION    AM)    DISCORD.  403 

of  welcome  at  the  meeting  conducted  the  defense. 
Trial  came,  a  change  of  venue  was  taken  and  the  case 
was  postponed  two  days,  with  the  prisoner  out  on  bail. 
In  the  meantime  the  new  engineer  got  drunk,  raised 
such  a  row  that  he  had  to  be  clubbed  and  put  in  the 
jail  for  safe  keeping.  Trial  came  again,  so  did  the 
evidence,  so  the  company's  attorney  wanted  to  avoid 
trial  and  the  strikers  were  asked  to  say  upon  what 
conditions  they  would  withdraw  the  prosecution,  their 
only  object  being  to  show  the  one-sided  legal  proceed- 
ings. If  the  new  man  would  make  an  acknowledge- 
ment, pay  all  cost,  and  agree  to  leave  the  city,  they 
would  be  satisfied.  They  wanted  law  and  order;  the 
law  was  being  perverted  and  used  to  the  detriment 
of  the  strikers,  and  the  protection  of  the  scabs.  The 
police  judge  had  found  nothing  against  this  man  and 
liberated  him,  but  the  state's  attorney  had  found  too 
much  evidence  and  the  prisoner  was  glad  to  choose 
between  leaving,  and  working  for  the  state.  Was  the 
meeting  called  for  law  and  order  or  was  it  called  in 
fear  of  a  great  corporation?  At  Aurora,  111.,  April  14, 
1888,  at  ameeting  held  in  the  city  council  room,  resolu- 
tions were  passed  and  committees  appointed  to  circulate 
the  petition  on  both  sides  of  the  river  which  the  com- 
mittee says  under  the  date  of  April  24.  "I  can  assure 
vou  was  thoroughly  done.  I  give  you  below  the 
names  of  those  who  were  'men'  enough  to  sign  it."1 
This  petition  asked  the  mayor  to  put  on  30  to  100 
special  policemen  at  the  city's  expense.  To  many 
business  men,  the  necessity  did  not  seem  to  exist, 
and  they  refused  to  sign  it.  The  Burlington  officials 
had  this  petition  and  the  list  of  names  printed  for    dis- 

1  Quotation  from  the  document. 


4°4 


THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 


tribution  to  their  scabs,  and  on  a  slip  was  written 
with  a  type  writer  twenty-five  names  of  business  men 
who  would  not  sign  the  petition,  and  one  of  these  was 
handed  into  each  house  to  be  boycotted  so  they  would 
be  sure  to  know  it.  I  have  both  documents  obtained 
from  one  of  the  new  men.  A  bulldozing  policy  was 
practiced  in  court  and  out,  all  along  the  line,  and  the 
influence  that  controls  legislatures  was  never  more  ap- 
parent than  in  the  Burlington  strike.  .  Fear  on  one 
hand,  and  money  where  that  would  not  do,  secured 
power  along  the  line,  not  warranted  by  any  considera- 
tion of  justice. 

The  aggressive  policy  of  the  Burlington  was  bring- 
ing organized  labor  nearer  together  each  day.  Meet- 
ings were  being  held  in  all  parts  of  the  country.  "  At 
New  York,  April  8. — Members  of  the  Brotherhood 
of  Locomotive  Engineers  and  Locomotive  Firemen  to 
the  number  of  1,500  met  at  Tammany  Hall 
J.  J.  Hanahan,  Vice-Grand  Master  of  the  locomotive 
firemen,  and  Joseph  Porter  of  the  engineers  of  the  C, 
B.  &  Q.  system,  addressed  the  meeting  and  told  what 
they  had  seen  and  heard  on  a  recent  trip  over  the  C, 
B.  &  Q.  system  from  Chicago  to  Denver.  Mr.  Porter 
declared  the  losses  already  amounted  to  a  million  of 
dollars.  Among  other  things  he  declared  that  already 
157  engines  had  been  disabled  through  incapability  of 
the  '  scab  engineers.'  Remarks  were  also  made  by 
leading  members  of  eastern  divisions  of  the  Brother- 
hood  of  Engineers  and  Firemen.  The  meeting  unan- 
imously adopted  these   resolutions:  " 

"  Resolved:  First.  That  the  action  of  the  Chicago 
strikers — acts  of  violence    excepted — are  herebv    en- 


DESTRUCTION    AND    DISCORD  405 

dorsed  and  approved.  " 

••  Second.  That  our  pledge  of  financial  and  moral 
support  to  our  striking  brothers  of  the  C,  B.  &  Q. 
railroad  is  hereby  renewed  and  will  be  continued  as 
long  as  necessary." 

Like  meetings  were  held  in  all  large  business  centers, 
and  similar  resolutions  passed.  An  appeal  had  been 
sent  out  over  the  Burlington  system,  which  was  signed 
by  thousands  of  business  men  asking  "  the  Inter-State 
Commerce  Commission  to  take  action  on  the  '  Q ' 
strike  in  reference  to  the  mismanagement  of  the  Bur- 
lington and  the  interference  with  the  traffic  of  the 
country.  Judge  Cooley,  chairman  of  the  commission, 
has  consented  to  an  investigation.  Mr.  Alexander 
Sullivan,  the  attorney  for  the  Brotherhood  of  Locomo- 
tive Engineers,  was  preparing  the  evidence  to  be  sub- 
mitted." 

As  a  further  evidence  that  the  two  Brotherhoods 
were  not  disheartened,  the  following  is  significant : 

"St.  Louis,  Mo.,  April  14. — The  grievance  com- 
mittee of  the  Brotherhood  of  Locomotive  Engineers 
and  Firemen  on  the  St.  Louis  &  San  Francisco  rail- 
road, made  a  settlement  this  morning  on  the  basis  of 
three  and  one-half  cents  per  mile  on  passenger,  and  four 
cents  per  mile  on  freight  trains,  with  the  abolishment 
of  all  classification." 

"  The  terms  of  this  settlement  are  exactly  what  the 
"striking  engineers  and  firemen  on  the  Burlington  asked 
for.  The  Brotherhood  men  are  to  be  congratulated 
upon  having  won  a  substantial  victory,  and  St.  Louis 
&  San  Francisco  management  upon  their  display  of 
fairness  and  great  good  sense." 


406  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

"  Grand  Master  Sargent  arrived  at  headquarters  in 
the  Grand  Pacific  from  St.  Louis  Thursday  morning. 
In  respect  to  the  concessions  made  by  the  St.  Louis  & 
San  Francisco  road,  he  said;  '  One  strike  has  been 
averted;  twelve  hundred  engineers  and  firemen  con- 
tinue to  work  with  their  condition  bettered,  and  the 
'  Frisco  line  running  out  of  St.  Louis,  over  1,446  miles 
of  western  territory,  is  no  worse  for  the  conference  it 
gave  a  committee  of  employes,  and  the  subsequent 
settlement  which  it  magnanimously  agreed  to.  The 
enginemen  on  the  '  Frisco  line  had  submitted  to  the 
officials  of  that  road  a  set  of  resolutions  almost  exactly 
the  same  as  were  laid  before  the  Burlington  manage- 
ment. Within  five  days  from  the  date  of  which  the 
paper  was  received  by  him,  General  Manager  Mor- 
rill expressly  desired  to  settle  with  the  men  themselves, 
and  for  that  reason  there  was  no  need  of  myself  nor 
Mr.  Arthur  being  present.  His  conduct  is  deserving 
of  much  praise." 

When  interviewed,  Mr.  Sargent  said:  "  Don't  forget 
to  say  that  the  same  request  was  made  that  caused  the 
strike  on  the  '  Q.'  That  was  the  abolishing  of  classifi- 
cation and  the  adoption  of  a  mileage  system  as  a  basis 
for  wages.    .  This  point  was  agreed  to  at  once." 

"  When  Paul  Morton,  of  the  Burlington  road,  was 
asked  why  his  company  could  not  have  settled  the 
Burlington  difficulty  the  same  way,  and  thus  avoided 
a  strike,  he  turned  to  his  desk  and  wrote  the  following 
reply :  " 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  that  the  '  Frisco  strike  is  settled 
peaceably.  The  probability  is  that  if  our  men  had 
presented  modified  demands  before  striking  we  would 


DESTRUCTION    AM)    DISCORD.  4O7 

have  had  no  trouble.  Our  strike  is  settled,  too,  but  in 
another  way,  and  it  has  clearly  demonstrated  the  old 
adage  that  it  takes  two  to  make  a  bargain." 

"  There !  'That's  my  answer1,  said  he,  handing 
over  the  paper." 

In  this  answer  Mr.  Morton  forgot  that  the  Burling- 
ton would  allow  no  second  party  to  the  contract,  and  a 
strike  resulted. 

"  On  the  19th,  J.  J.  Hanahan,  Vice-Grand  Master  of 
the  Brotherhood  of  Firemen,  returned  from  a  trip 
through  the  principal  cities  and  terminal  points  of  the 
east,  where  he  held  joint  meetings  and  found  a  warm 
welcome,  and  on  every  hand  the  greatest  enthusiasm 
and  warm  commendation  of  the  course  of  the  officers 
of  the  Brotherhood.  The  members  pledged  any  sup- 
port, financial  or  moral,  that  might  be  necessary,  and 
Mr.  Hanahan  bt ought  back  the  equivalent  of  $250,- 
000  in  cash.  Mr.  J.  Porter,  of  Aurora,  accompanied 
Mr.  Hanahan.  They  were  followed  on  the  trip  by 
Burlington  detectives,  and  evaded  them  at  several 
points,  only  to  be  overtaken  again. 

Mr.  Morton  again  declares  the  strike  off: 

Chicago,  111.,  April  13,  1888. 

Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railroad  Co., 

Passenger  Dept. 
.To  Ticket  Agents. 

Gentlemen: — Commencing  Saturday,  April  14, 
the  Burlington  fast  train  will  be  resumed.     The  strike 
is  over.     Our   engineers  are    thoroughly    competent. 
These  trains  will  be  run  on  time  as  heretofore. 
Paul  Morton, 

General  Passenger  and  Ticket  Agent. 


CHAPTER  XLVI1I. 

THE    STRIKE    NOT    OFF. 

Paul  Morton  had  said  the  strike  was  off  and  every- 
thing was  running  smoothly  as  before  the  strike. 
But  the  statement  of  Messrs.  Hoge  and  Murphy,  the 
spilling  of  blood,  and  public  opinion,  would  indicate 
that  it  was  still  on. 

At  Galesburg,  111.,  on  the  28th  of  April  occurred  the 
killing  of  H.  B.  Newell,  one  of  the  striking*  engineers, 
by  sfun  shot  wounds  from  a  revolver  in  the  hands  of 
William  Albert  Hedburg,  a  Burlington  scab  fireman. 
At  the  coroner's  inquest,  as  was  the  case  always  where 
the  Burlington  was  interested,  and  contrary  to  common 
usage,  lawyers  employed  by  the  company  were  on 
hand  necessitating  the  presence  of  other  lawyers,  and 
at  this  inquest  "  a  confab  arose  as  to  who  Mr.  Brown, 
who  was  conducting  the  examination,  represented. 
The  coroner  then  demanded  who  all  the  attorneys 
represented.  Mr.  Brown  said  that  he  represented  the 
people  at  the  request  of  friends;  Mr.  Lawrence  said 
that  he  and  Mr.  Williams  represented  Mr.  Hedburg; 
Mr.  Carney  said  that  he  represented  the  city  of  Gales- 
burg; Mr.  Welch  said  that  he  was  there  at  the  request 
of  parties  interested  and  proposed  to  stay.  The 
squire  then  said  that  there  had  been  considerable  criti- 
cism on  allowing  attorneys  present  and  their  asking 
questions.  He  had  admitted  it  so  that  the  examina- 
tion might  be  thorough    and   searching.     Mr.    Cooke 


THE    STRIKE    NOT    OFF.  4O9 

offered  to  withdraw,  if  there  was  any  objection  to  his 
representing  the  State.  The  matter  was  finally 
smoothed  over  and  the  inquest  proceeded.  " 

The  inquest  lasted  three  days.  State's  Attorney 
Cooke  remarked  that  the  inquest  seemed  to  have  been 
run  by  the  defense.  The  jury  brought  in  a  verdict 
that  the  shooting  was  done  in  self-defense.  A  war- 
rant was  immediately  sworn  out  by  a  brother,  A.  15. 
Newell,  charging  Hedburg  with  murder,  and  the  pris- 
oner was  held  to  the  grand  jury. 

The  Funeral  of  Herbert  B.  Newell. 

"  The  funeral  service  over  the  remains  of  Herbert 
B.  Newell  was  held  at  the  house  on  East  Main  street 
at  ten  o'clock  this  forenoon.  It  was  probablv  one  of 
the  largest  funerals  ever  held  in  Galesburcr.  The 
house,  yard,  and  walk  were  thronged  with  people.  It 
is  estimated  that  not  less  than  one  thousand  persons 
were  on  the  grounds." 

"There  were  several  tine  floral  offerings,  perhaps  the 
most  prominent  being  the  one  representing  the  drive- 
wheel  of  a  locomotive,  with  one  of  the  spokes  broken, 
and  the  initials,  « B.  of  L.  E.'  and  '  Div.  No.  62', 
worked  in  flowers.  This  emblem  was  very  suggest- 
ive and  stood  at  the  head  of  the  coffin.  There  was 
also  a  harp  made  largely  of  calla  lilies  and  roses  at  the 
head  of  the  coffin.  At  the  foot  there  were  two  beauti- 
ful pillows  of  white  flowers.  In  one,  in  immortelles, 
was  the  word  '  Herb,'  and  in  the  other  one  '  Newell.' 
The  services  were  opened  by  a  quartette  consisting  of 
Messrs.  Manning,  Fleharty,  Fairbank,  and  L.  H.  Jelliff, 
singing,    '  Asleep  in  Jesus.'     Rev.   J.    W.    Bradshaw 


410 


THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 


then  read  several  selections  from  the  scriptures,  after 
which  the  quartette  sang  c  Last  Good  Night.'  Rev. 
Bradshaw  then,  without  taking  any  text,  made  a  short 
address.  The  following  is  a  synopsis  of  the  first  part 
of  his  remarks : ' 

"  '  We  are  gathered  under  the  shadow  of  a  great  and 
shocking   calamity — a   calamity   which    has    cast    its 
gloom  not  upon  us  alone  who  are  assembled  here,  but 
upon  the  whole  community.     One    of  those  appalling 
occurrences  which  shock  our  deepest  emotions,  which 
kindle    excited    feeling;    which   tend   to   unsettle    the 
judgment     of  the    calmest    and   most   judicious.     At 
such  a  time  it  behooves  all  right-minded  men  and  wo- 
men to  summon  into  exercise  their  utmost  self-control; 
to  quiet  excited  emotion;  to  suppress  every  trace  of 
passionate  feeling,  to  give  calm  judgment  full  sway; 
to  let  their  words  be  few  and  cautious,  and  their    ac- 
tions most  discreet.     He  who    should    act    otherwise 
would,  by  so  doing,    make  himself  the  enemy   of    the 
best  and  most  sacred  interests  of  society.     Of  the  cir- 
cumstances attending  this  sad  occurrence,   this  is    nei- 
ther the  time  nor  the  place  to  speak.     Not  till  by  lapse 
of  time  excited  feeling  has  been  stilled;  not  till,    view- 
ing these  events  from  a  distance,  we    are    able    more 
accurately  to  perceive  the  true  relations  of  things;  not 
till,  by  passage  of  time,  calm  judgment   is    restored 
and  truth  fully  brought  to  light,  can    anyone    wisely 
speak  of  these  sad  circumstances  or  venture    to    pass 
judgment  upon  them.'  " 

"  In  closing  Mr.  Bradshaw  spoke  comforting  words 
to  the  bereaved  and  urged  the  necessity  of  preparing 
for  death  while  we  still  have  health  and  opportunity." 


THE    STRIKE    NOT    OFF.  4II 

"  After  Rev.  Bradshaw's  address  the  quartette  sang 
'Beautiful  Land.'  The  house  was  then  cleared  and 
the  family  and  relatives  of  deceased  took  their  last 
look.  The  remains  were  then  brought  out  and 
placed  on  the  sidewalk  and  all  given  a  chance  to  view 
them.  The  Brotherhoods  marched  two  abreast  and 
as  they  came  to  the  coffin  they  clasped  hands  and 
passed  each  side  of  the  remains.  Over  300  thus  filed 
past  the  coffin.  There  were  visitors  here  from  Bur- 
lington Div.  No.  151,  Marshalltown  Div.  No.  146,  St. 
Paul  Div.  No.  150,  Aurora  Div.  No.  32,  and  Beards- 
town  Div.  No.  127." 

"  The  procession  down  Main  street  was  a  solemn, 
magnificent  and  imposing  one.  The  streets  were 
lined  with  spectators,  and  the  utmost  silence  prevailed. 
It  was  shortly  before  12  o'clock  when  the  line  of 
march  reached  the  business  center.  At  the  front  was 
the  Galesburg  Marine  band,  playing  a  beautiful  funer- 
al march  very  smoothly  and  impressively.  The  mar- 
shals of  the  line  preceded  them,  and  were  Mr.  Robert 
Barnhill  and  Mr.  Thomas  McGann.  Then  was  seen 
the  crimson  banner  of  the  Switchmen's  lodge.  There 
were  in  line  some  60  of  these,  including  the  delegation 
from  Burlington  and  other  points.  Each  wore  around 
his  sleeve  a  piece  of  crape.  On  their  hands  were 
white  gloves.  The  next  banner  was  the  elegant  one 
of  the  B.  of  L.  F.,  and  of  those  marching  behind  the 
banner  proclaiming  "Benevolence,  Sobriety  and  Indus- 
try'' there  could  not  have  been  less  than  one  hundred 
and  fifty,  including  the  visiting  brethren.  Each,  as 
were  also  the  switchmen,  was  adorned  with  the  rega- 
lia of  the  fraternity  as  well  as  the  symbols  of  sorrow. 


412 


THE    Bl'KLINGTON    STRIKE. 


The  long  line  of  engineers  came  next,  and  they  were 
the  center  of  all  eyes.  The  beautiful,  brotherhood 
banner  at  their  head  was  gracefully  adorned  with  fes- 
toons of  crape.  Each  wore  an  elegant  badge  of 
mourning.  The  appearance  of  these  one  hundred  and 
thirty  or  forty  fine  looking  men,  the  face  of  each  wear- 
ing an  expression  of  sadness,  was  impressive  and 
touching.  The  sincerity  of  the  demonstration  was  ap- 
parent to  all.  Then  followed  the  carriage  containing 
the  crippled  members  of  the  Brotherhood.  Following 
this  were  the  hearse,  the  lovely  floral  wheel  discernible 
through  the  rear  windows,  and  the  pall-bearers,  Geo. 
Best,  Frank  Reynolds,  E.  Updike,  A.  H.  Vanwormer, 
Geo.  Stofft  and  G.  McDowell,  walking  on  each  side  of 
the  hearse.  Next  were  the  carriages.  It  is  estimated 
that  the  procession  was  a  mile  in  length.  In  addition 
to  those  in  the  line,  many  sympathizing  friends  passed 
along  the  sidewalks  on  each  side." 

"Arriving  at  the  grave  the  Brotherhood  formed  in  a 
circle  around  it  and  the  impressive  service  of  laving 
awav  a  brother  was  performed  by  Chief  Engineer  Thos. 
Hill,  assisted  by  Chaplain  John  Saddler,  after  which 
the  quartette  sang  a  beautiful  song,  and  the  benedic- 
tion was  pronounced  by   Rev.   Bradshaw."  ' 

Paul  Morton  came  out  in  the  Associated  Press 
dispatches,  May  i,  and  declared  the  strike  off  on  the 
C,  B.  &  Q.  This  was  the  third  time  that  Paul  Mor- 
ton had  declared  the  strike  off  since  the  27th  of 
February. 

•:Xo  doubt  the  Burlington  officials  would  have  been 
glad  to  have  it  declared  off,  because  they  were  being 
scored    most    unmercifully    by    western     newspapers. 

1  Galesburg  Republican  Register. 


THE    STRIKE    NOT    OFF 


4*3 


The  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  Gazette,  of  May  7th,  says,  "We 
have  a  few  more  items  of  interest  to  present  for  the 
edification  of  the  Burlington  managers  and  the  instruc- 
tion of  the  traveling  and  shipping  public.  The  strike- 
is  over,  it  is  said,  but  somehow  things  do  not  seem  to 
get  the  proper  hitch  in  their  trousers." 

"B.  &  M.  engine  No.  128,  and  K.  C.  engine  No.  1.. 
met  on  a  single  track  a  mile  north  of  Nodaway  sta- 
tion, thirteen  miles  from  St.  Joseph,  yesterday  morn- 
ing. The  meeting  was  more  forcible  than  profitable, 
and  the  locomotives  will  have  to  be  almost  rebuilt  be- 
fore they  will  be  of  any  special  service  to  the  com- 
pany." 

"The  accident  occurred  in  this  manner:  Both  trains 
had  orders  to  meet  "and  pass  at  Nodaway,  but  the  K. 
C.  engineer,  a  new  man  named  Jones,  forgot  his  orders. 
Conductor  Harrington  was  not  attending  to  business 
and  the  train  ran  gaily  by  the  station  and  into  the  B. 
&  M.  train.  A  dozen  cars,  about  half  of  which  were 
oaded,  were  converted  into  kindling  wood  and  the  en- 
gines were  total  wrecks.  They  were  towed  into  St. 
Joseph  in  the  afternoon  and  taken  to  the  shops.  The 
rainmen  jumped  when  they  saw  a  collision  was  in- 
evitable. Some  of  them  received  severe  bruises  but 
fortunately  no  one,  so  far  as  can  be  learned,  was 
killed.  All  trains  were  delayed  three  or  four  hours. 
Damage  $ 20,000." 

During  the  first  week  of  May  occurred  the  Rope 
Creek  disaster,  near  Alma,  Nebraska.  In  1887  an 
immense  amount  of  money  was  spent  by  the  Burling- 
ton in  replacing  wooden  structures  with  iron,  and  other 
bridge    work.     But  in   1888  retrenchment  was  neces- 


4.I4  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

sary,  and  the  comments  upon  this  wreck  from  the 
press  of  the  west,  could  not  have  been  very  consoling 
in  the  face  of  a  declaration  that  the  strike  was  over 
and  their  men  were  competent.  The  St.  Joseph  Mo., 
Gazette  had  an  article  headed  "  B.  &  M.  Butcheries," 
and  illustrations  were  shown  from  photographs  taken 
on  the  spot.  Mr.  Morton  said  all  these  stories  of 
wrecks  were  fakes,  and  we  give  a  few  extracts.  The 
Gazette  says: 

"  That  the  B.  &  M.  railroad  in  Nebraska  is  in  a 
fearful  condition;  that  travel  over  it  is  extremely  dan- 
gerous; that  those  who  are  compelled  to  buy  its  ser- 
vices take  their  lives  in  their  hands  there  is  no  need 
denying,  and  not  an  official  will  seek  to  deny.  Trav- 
eling men  feel  a  sense  of  perfect  insecurity,  and 
breathe  with  more  ease  when  at  last,  after  numerous 
unwarranted  and  inexcusable  delays,  their  destination 
is  reached.  Dead  engines,  wrecked  freight  cars, 
damaged  coaches,  splintered  sleepers,  and  generally 
demoralized  rolling  stock  fill  half  the  sidings  and  all 
the  repair  shops  along  the  line.  Wreck  after  wreck 
has  been  reported,  all  coupled  with  loss  of  life,  maim- 
ing of  limbs,  and  injuries  to  a  greater  or  less  extent. 
Trains  meet  on  the  iron  highway,  at  all  hours,  day 
and  night,  and  often  fatal  accidents  are  only  averted 
by  the  interposition  of  providence  on  behalf  of  those 
who  are  compelled  to  travel  over  the  B.  &  M.,  and 
therefore  are  not  responsible.  The  once  famous '  cannon 
ball '  is  a  cannon  ball  no  longer,  except  that  acting  in 
the  capacity  of  a  loaded  van  it  is  armed,  thanks  to  in- 
competent men  with  double  the  death-dealing  qualities 
of  the  missle  from  which  it  takes  its  name.     It  would 


THE    STRIKE    NOT   OFF.  415 

be  a  greater  means  of  destruction  but  for  the  fact  that 
its  passengers  are  to  and  from  local  points  only. 
Through  passengers  are  an  unknown  quantity.  In  spite 
of  the  vigorous  and  earnest,  would  they  were  honest, 
protests  of  managers,  superintendents,  passenger 
agents,  and  hired  organs,  all,  or  nearly  all  of  the  once 
handsome  through  business  enjoyed  by  the  road  has 
gone;  vanished  like  the  tramp's  dream  of  wealth;  and 
it  will  not  soon  be  regained.  Imagine  the  famous  B. 
&  M.,  the  once  great  through  route  to  Denver,  run- 
ning solid  day  and  night  trains  of  never  less  than  three 
cars  each  for  the  accommodation  of  never  more  than 
twenty  passengers.  No.  40  has  made  the  run  from 
Denver  to  St.  Joseph  within  the  last  week,  carrying 
but  eight  passengers,  and  No.  39  has  done  the  same 
thing.  Day  coaches  and  smokers  are  well  nigh  de- 
serted and  the  few  passengers  ride  in  the  sleepers,  be- 
cause in  ca?e  of  one  of  the  many  accidents  they  may 
be  enabled  to  at  least  escape  with  their  lives." 

"In  sustaining  this  position  the  management  has  at- 
tempted to  belittle  any  and  all  reports  of  wrecks,  and 
this  refers  not  only  to  the  B.  &  M.,  but  to  all  parts  of 
the  Burlington  system.  Hired  organs,  instead  of 
sending  representatives  to  scenes  of  accidents,  have 
rushed  them  into  the  company's  headquarters  that  an 
'  official  report '  might  be  secured  !  Damages  amount- 
ing to  thousands  of  dollars  have  been  scaled  down  to 
hundreds;  collisions  have  been  averted  by  passengers 
and  road  men,  and  the  incompetents  now  manning 
engines,  have  been  excused  on  the  plea  that  they  do 
not  know  the  road.  The  only  thing  that  has  prevent- 
ed a  succession  of  Chatsworth  disasters,  is  that  travel 


/j.l6  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

has  been  light  and  traffic  has  been  diverted  to  other 
lines.  The  wrecks  which  have  occurred  are  seventy 
per  cent  greater  in  number,  since  February  26,  and 
200  per  cent  greater  in  loss  of  life  and  property  than 
ever  occurred  on  the  Burlington  system  in  the  same 
period  before.  And  thev  are  multiplying,  not  decreas- 
ing. A  case  in  point  is  the  recent  wreck  at  Alma, 
Neb.  In  violation  of  orders  the  trainmen  rushed  on 
a  rotten  culvert  at  a  tremendous  rate  of  speed,  and 
in  an  instant  five  souls  had  been  sent  into  eternitv. 
Two  bodies  were  found  two  days  after  the  accident, 
and  two  are  known  to  be  missing.  Officials  at  once 
began  to  lie  about  the  cause  and  fatalities,  and  every  ef- 
fort was  made  to  cover  the  matter,  that  the  already  poor 
traffic  might  not  be  entirely  lost.  The  Nebraska  press 
was  flooded  with  padded  and  untruthful  accounts  of  the 
efforts  of  the  officials  to  care  for  the  wounded  and  find 
the  dead.  They  did  little  or  nothing:  chieflv  the  lat- 
ter; and  when  the  coroner's  juries  had  taken  testimo- 
ny every  effort  was  made  to  belittle  and  suppress  it." 

"  Then  the  company  telegraphed  it  broadcast  that 
every  effort  had  been  make  bv  it  to  recover  the  miss- 
ing bodies." 

"  Not  only  is  every  statement  that  the  B.  &  M. 
officials  or  employes  either  assisted  in  the  search  for 
bodies  or  took  any  care  of  them  when  found,  most 
maliciously  false,  but  exactly  the  opposite  is  true,  as 
can  be  established  by  the  testimony  of  hundreds  of  the 
best  people  of  both  Alma  and  Orleans.  Not  onlv 
have  eighteen  of  the  best  business  men  of  Alma,  com- 
posing the  three  coroners'  juries  impaneled  to  hold 
inquests  on  the  bodies  taken  from    the  wreck,    found 


THE    STRIKE    NOT    OFF.  417 

the  1).  &  M.  company  guilty  of  criminal  negligence  iti 
connection  with  the  Rope  creek  disaster;  not  only 
have  two  of  these  juries  especially  censured  the  crim- 
inal negligence  of  Eugene  White,  the  section  boss; 
not  only  has  it  been  proved  by  the  contradictory- 
statements  of  this  man  White,  but  by  the  testimony  of 
other  witnesses  as  well,  that  White  has  lied  in  regard 
to  important  incidents  o,f  the  wreck  and  its  causes,  but 
from  the  day  of  the  wreck  until  the  present  time  not 
one  of  the  officers  or  employes  of  the  B.  &  M.  rail- 
road company  have  ever  lifted  a  hand  to  assist  in  the 
search  for  the  missing  bodies,  and  for  this  neglect  the 
company  has  been  censured  by  two  juries.'" 

"  Not  only  has  the  negligence  of  the  company  and 
its  employes,  in  allowing  the  wreck  to  occur,  been  fully 
established,  but  their  utter  neglect  and  refusal  to 
search  for  bodies  is  known  to  all  people.  Sheriff  Al- 
len and  the  people  of  Alma  are  entitled  to  the  credit 
for  finding  these  missing  bodies,  as  they  have  never 
for  a  moment  relaxed  their  vigilance  in  the  matter,  and 
the  B.  &  M.  is  entitled  to  nothing." 

"  Hardly  had  the  last  victims  of  the  wreck  been 
found  when  the  employes  and  the  hirelings  of  the  B. 
&  M.  railroad  company  began  to  swarm  in  from  all 
directions.  Knowing  all  the  circumstances  of  the 
disaster,  and  knowing  that  the  first  coroner's  jury  had 
found  them  guilty  of  criminal  negligence,  none  of 
them  ever  lifted  a  hand  to  search  for  the  bodies  of  the 
missing  victims,  or  to  render  the  slightest  assistance 
to  our  people  in  doing  so;  but  now,  like  buzzards  to  a 
feast,  they  came  singly  and  in  droves,  and  when  Sher- 
iff Allen,    acting  as  coroner,    had  empaneled  a  jury  to 


4i8 


THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 


learn  the  cause  of  the  accident,  they  were  on  hand 
ready  to  meddle  and  dictate  in  a  matter  which  before 
had  given  them  no  concern.  They  had  lawyers  and 
stenographers,  and  bruisers,  and  shoulder-strikers, 
and  witnesses  to  swear  to  whatever  they  were  told,  and 
were  quite  anxious,  so  long  as  they  could  not  cover  up 
the  evidences  of  their  negligence  and  brutality,  to 
swear  away  the  honest  testimony  that,  by  revealing 
the  facts,  would  damage  their  testimony.  It  was  not 
because  the  company  cared  a  straw  for  the  dead  and 
wounded  or  their  sorrowing  relatives,  but  because 
they  hoped  to  evade  the  payment  of  just  and  reason- 
able damages.  The  conductor  swore  to  receiving 
slow  orders  for  that  bridge  on  the  morning  of  the 
wreck,  and  yet  neither  he  nor  the  engineer  took  the 
trouble  to  stop  before  going  upon  the  bridge." 

"  The  views  of  the  wreck  published  herewith  are 
from  photographs  taken  by  L.  D.  Willits,  of  Alma. 
They  are  kindly  furnished  the  Ga- 
zette, to  further  its  efforts  to  show 
the  B.&  M.  managers  and  officials  in 
the  true,  but  unsavory,  position 
which  thev  have  taken  in  this  matter. 
There  is  also  room  for  some  hired 
organ  which  considers  the  strike  over 
and  objects  to  its  ad  finitum  continu- 
ance to  begin  to  tell"  the  truth  and 
publish  a  few  items  of  news  con- 
cerning the  real  condition  of  the  Bur- 
lington." 

"  The    strike    hits    hard   in  many 
places.     The  holder  of  stock  is  a  sensitive  plant 


A    FALL    IN   STOCK. 


50 

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THE  LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


THE    STRIKE    NOT    OFF. 


419 


breath  of  a  western  strike  makes  a  coupon  shiver. 
Stocks  and  bonds  fall  before  the  lightest  frost.  But  a 
railroad  strike  or  war  is  roast  jack-snipe  on  toast, 
mashed  pomme  de  terre  with  apple  sauce  on  the  side, 
for  the  broker.  He  keeps  one  eye  bearing  0n  the 
naked  facts  while  his  judgment  is  on  the  rack.  '  Buy 
or  sell  ?  that's  the  question.'*' ' 

"Chicago,  111.,  May  ro. — The  financial  report  of  the 
Chicago,  Burlington  &  Quincy  road  for  the  month  of 
March,  covering  the  period  of  the  strike,  was  made 
public  to-day,  and,  as  was  expected,  showed  a  remark- 
able decrease  in  earnings,  compared  with  March, 
1887.  The  gross  earnings  were  $1,211,188;  operating- 
expenses,  $1,357,608,  leaving  a  deficit  for  the  month 
of  $146,415." 

;<  The  foregoing  telegram,  published  in  the  daily 
papers  of  the  country,  yesterday,  needs  little  comment. 
It  were  time  wasted  to  go  into  nice  calculations,  show- 
ing how  far  this  immense  sum  of  money  would  have 
gone  in  meeting  the  demands  made  upon  the  C,  B. 
&  Q.  road  by  its  employes— demands  which  were 
spurned  without  reason  or  argument.  The  stockhold- 
ers are  doubtless  pondering  this  problem,  and  it  is 
barely  possible  that  even  that  high  and  mighty  poten- 
tate, General  Manager  Stone,  as  well  as  managers  of 
hsser  degree,  look  ruefully  upon  these  figures  and 
begin  to  question  the  efficiency  of  pig-headedness  as 
the  ruling  principle  of  railroad  management.  What- 
ever may  be  the  final  outcome,  the  great  strike  on  the 
C,  B.  &  Q.  system  will  not  prove  valueless.  It  has 
served  to  call  the  attention  of  the  public  most  forcibly 
to  the   fact  that  corporations  have  no  conscience,  and 

1  Chicago  News. 


420  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

that  sometimes  the  managers  of  American  corporations 
have  but  one  maxim :  '  Might  makes  right ' — -a  brutal 
maxim,  the  utterance  of  rapacity, — an  echo  from  the 
depths  of  human  selfishness.  A  maxim  embodying 
a  menace  to  the  weak,  its  very  word  is  freighted  with 
malevolence." 

"  But  if  it  be  true  that  corporations  are  conscience- 
less, it  is  also  true  that  stockholders  have  pockets,  and 
that  while  all  other  appeals  may  fail,  an  argument 
which  addresses  itself  to  the  instincts  of  Boston  shop- 
keepers and  money  changers  is  very  apt  to  receive 
most  careful  consideration.  Under  existing  conditions 
little  improvement  in  the  business  ot  the  C,  B.  &  Q. 
can  be  expected.  Travelers  will  not  submit  their 
lives  to  unnecessary  dangers.  Shippers  will  prefer 
roads  unembarassed  by  the  complications  which  now 
render  the  train  service  of  the  C,  B.  &  Q.  roads  en- 
tirely unsatisfactory  as  well  as  unsafe.  By  common 
consent  the  C,  B.  &  Q.  system  has  been  boycotted, 
not  altogether  because  of  its  injustice  to  its  employes, 
but  because  of  its  inability  to  discharge  the  duties  of  a 
common  carrier.  Public  confidence  can  only  be  re- 
stored by  manning  its  trains  with  sober  and  competent 
men.  The  pretense  so  volubly  put  forth  that  <  the 
strike  is  over,'  that  '  all  trains  are  running  on  time,' 
that  '  the  Q.  has  its  full  complement  of  engineers  and 
firemen,'  etc.,  etc.,  has  deceived  nobody.  The  acci- 
dents and  calamities  occurring  on  all  parts  of  the  sys- 
tem tell  another  story.  The  plain  and  apparent  fact 
is,  that  notwithstanding  the  great  reduction  in  the  vol- 
ume of  its  business,  the  C,  B.  &  Q.  road  is  unable 
to    do   justice    to    the    few    patrons  it     retains,     and 


THE    STRIKE    NOT    OFF.  42 1 

that  under  existing  circumstances  it  could  not  handle 
the  enormous  traffic  it  formerly  enjoyed,  even  were 
public  confidence  restored.  It  has  raked  the  slums  of 
the  nation  for  substitutes  for  the  striking  engineers. 
The  lame,  the  halt  and  the  blind  have  been  drafted  in- 
to its  service.  Drunkards,  convicts,  men  who  before 
the  strike  would  never  have  even  dreamed  of  applving 
to  it  for  employment  now  have  charge  of  its  engines, 
and  to  their  doubtful  keeping  are  committed  the 
lives  and  property  of  its  patrons.  To  say  that  many, 
or  even  amajoritv  of  its  engineers,  are  competent,  is  no 
answer  to  this  charge.  It  is  enough  to  know  that  many 
of  them  are  incompetent,  and  of  this  abundant  proof 
is  not  wanting.  With  all  possible  safeguards  against 
accidents,  travel  bv  rail  is  sufficiently  hazardous,  and 
the  road  which  willfully  omits  the  least  of  these  safe- 
guards is  undeserving  of  public  patronage.  The  con- 
duct of  the  C,  B.  &  Q  road  in  taking  into  its  employ- 
ment the  class  of  men  now  running  its  engines  was  an 
act  of  criminal  desperation.  Its  stubborn  refusal  to 
recognize  as  anything  better  than  serfs,  men  who  had 
served  it  faithfully  for  so  many  years,  was  a  brutal  ex- 
hibition of  arrogance,  and  its  subsequent  indifference 
to  the  rights  of  the  public  and  the  safety  of  life  and 
property,  a  crime." 

"  If  the  contents  of  the  foregoing  telegram  do  not 
brino-  the  C,  B.  &  Q.  stockholders  to  their  senses, 
similar  ones  which  are  sure  to  follow  will  probably  do 
so. 

The  Burlington  directors'  meeting  was  called  to 
meet  in  Chicago  on  May  16,  and  it  was  deemed  best 
bv  the  leaders  of  the  strike  to  call  in  all  the  grievance 

1  St.  Joseph  (Mo.)  Gazette. 


42  2  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

committeemen  of  the  Burlington,  look  over  the  situa- 
tion and  make  some   provisions    for  future  action.     If 
was    thought    by    many    that    at    the  meeting    of  the 
stockholders,    the    immense    losses  already  sustained, 
and    the  depreciation  of  the  stock,  would  induce   the 
directors    to  modify  their    position  and  be   willing  to 
arbitrate    and    get    the    strike  declared  off.     But  the 
Forbes  interests  were  there  with  proxies   sufficient  to 
bar  out  any  effort  to  change    their    policy,    and    they 
voted  confidence  in  President  Perkins  and  the  official 
management    of   the    strike.     This  convinced   Grand 
Chief  Arthur  and  Grand  Master  Sargent  that  further 
effort  to  effect  any  settlement  was    useless,    and    con- 
cluded to  advise    the    committee    there    assembled  to 
declare    the    strike    off — Grand  Chief  Arthur  coming 
from  Cleveland  for  that  purpose.     But  the   committee 
voted    unanimously  to  continue  the  strike,  and  a  vote 
was    taken    along  the    line  and  forwarded  to  the  two 
chairmen,  Hoge  and  Murphy.       The  vote  stood  155S 
to    continue  the    strike  and  nineteen  to  declare  it  off. 
So  the  grand  officers  went  to  their  respective    head- 
quarters   as    there    was    nothing    to    their  mind  they 
could  do  but  see  that  the  men  were    supported  finan- 
cially.    The  strike  was  as  vigorously  prosecuted  as  it 
was  in  the  power  of  the  Burlington  strikers.       Speak- 
ers were  sent  over  the  country,  the  interest  kept   in  a 
lively  state,   and  the  Brotherhood    men    and    Knights 
of    Labor  vied  with    each  other  in  diverting    business 
from  the  Burlinoton." 

"  Wreck  and  disaster  followed  the  trail  of  the  scabs, 
regardless  of  Mr.  Morton's  statement  that  everything 
was  running  smoothly.       The  fast  mail  train  running 


THE    STRIKE    NOT    OEF.  423 

through  a  Chicago  &  Iowa  freight,  at  South  Aurora,  on 
May  23.  and  the  following  from   the  Aurora  Express-. 

"  A  Burlington  special  police  lost  his  star  and  club 
yesterday.  Fred  Long,  who  has  charge  of  twenty- 
six  night  and  twelve  day  special  policemen  in  the  em- 
ploy of  the  Burlington,  learned  that  one  of  the  night 
officers  was  drunk  in  'the  cut,'  yesterday.  He  went 
to  investigate  and  found  not  a  night  man,  but  one  of 
the  day  specials  and  one  of  the  new  switchmen  lying 
side  by  side,  drunk  together." 

With  the  good  will  expressed  in  the  answer  to  the 
following,  ought  to  be  strong  reminders  that  the  strike 
was  not  off: 

C,  B.  &  Q.  Railroad  Company. 

Mr.  E.  A.  Barnes,  Principal  Webster  School: 

"Dear  Sir:  I  wish  to  see  you  regarding  the 
teachers'  trip  to  California  in  July  next.  Kindly  ad- 
vise me  when  it  will  be  most  convenient  for  you  to 
have  me  call,  and  oblige." 

Respectfully  Yours,         Geo.  R.  Dunne. 

Chicago,  111.,  May—  1888. 
Mr.  George  R.  Dunne: 

"  Dear  Sir:  So  far  as  I  know,  the  sympathies  of 
the  public  teachers  are  with  the  Brotherhood  and  de- 
cidedly against  the  C,  B.  &  Q.  So  long  as  there  are 
other  routes  of  travel  we  shall  never  board  a  Q.  pas- 
senger train."  Respectfully,     E.  A.  Barnes, 

During  the  month  of  June  laboring  people  through- 
out the  west  were  keeping  an  eye  on  all  patrons  of 
the  Burlington  during  the  period  of  conventions.  Ap- 
peals were  made  to  the  various  political    factions    not 


424  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

to  patronize  the  Burlington  and  no  doubt  it  had  a 
powerful  influence.  Immense  meetings  were  held, 
and  the  road  was  placed  before  the  public  by  speak- 
ers in  a  manner  that  must  have  been  anything  but 
pleasant  for  the  managers.  On  June  11,  an  immense 
meeting  was  held  at  Lincoln,  Nebraska.  We  give  a 
few  extracts  from  the  speeches,  as  they  have  a  direct 
bearing  upon  the  subject  before  us,  as  showing  the 
magnitude  of  the  power  with  which  the  Brother- 
hoods were  contending.  Hon.  Ex-Governor  But- 
ler said: 

"Mr.  Chairman,  Ladies  and  Gentlemen: — I  must 
say  that  I  am  somewhat  disappointed  from  the  fact  I  had 
no  expectation  of  meeting  so  large  an  audience  as  I 
find  here  to-night,  and  if  I  fail  to  come  up  to  3-our  ex- 
pectations, why,  be  a  little  charitable." 

"Gentlemen,  I  am  here  to-night  to  talk  for  a  few 
moments  on  the  question  of  labor  which  governs  the 
people  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  and  from  the 
lakes  to  the  gulf.  This  question  is  not  confined  to  this 
continent.  Go  into  any  of  the  states  of  Europe  and 
you  will  find  the  same  question  being  agitated  there. " 

"There  never  has  been  on  earth,  never,  no  living 
man  that  ever  honestly  accumulated  five  millions  of  dol- 
lars; he  never  did  that  on  earth;  there  never  was  such 
a  thing;  he  doesn't  need  it  in  the  first  place,  he  can't 
use  it,  he  can't  appreciate  it,  and  he  never  made  it  hon- 
estly— there  never  was  such  a  thing  on  earth.*' 

As  an  illustration  he  said:  "Suppose  that  Adam 
had  laid  up  a  dollar  a  day  from  the  day  of  his  birth  to 
the  present  time,  how  much  do  you  suppose  he  would 
have  been  worth?     $1,000,000.     His  overcoat  would 


THE    STRIKE    NOT    OFF. 


425 


not  have  made  Vanderbilt  a  vest,  would  it?  There  he 
had  worked  five  thousand  years.  We  had  a  class  of 
scientists  sometime  since  that  claimed  they  had  discov- 
ered a  pre-historic  man;  thev  went  on  to  say  that  he 
had  lived  live  hundred  thousand  years  before  Adam; 
suppose  they  had  found  this  man  to  be  five  hundred 
thousand  years  older  than  Adam,  suppose  he  had  been 
a  Knight  of  Labor  and  had  worked  from  that  day  to 
the  present,  every  day,  Sunday  not  excepted,  no 
rainy  day  excepted,  how  much  do  you  suppose  that 
gentleman  would  have  had?  He  would  have  made 
$182,000,000.  Vanderbilt  could  have  bought  him 
out  and  had  $43,000,000  to  put  into  Lincoln  street 
railway  stock.  (Laughter)  How  did  Vanderbilt  ac- 
cumulate that  vast  wealth?  He  accumulated  it  bv 
regulating-  commerce  among  the  states.  Don't  you 
remember  of  reading  of  parties  in  the  medieval  ages 
taking  refuge  in  the  mountains  and  forming  themselves 
into  bands  and  tribes,  and  when  people  would  be  pass- 
ing over  the  King's  highway,  these  thieves  would 
come  out  and  rob  the  people  and  take  all  they  had; 
thev  said  they  took  what  the  traffic  would  bear;  that 
is  what  Vanderbilt  and  his  associates  have  been  doing; 
they  have  taken  the  place  of  congress  and  stood  on 
the  King's  highway  and  robbed  the  people  from  here 
to  New  York,  and  from  New  York  to  the  old  coun- 
try.  How  shall  we  remedy  this?  Some  will  say,  'You 
can't  doit.'  'Can't?'  Is  that  possible?  I  think  from  the 
looks  of  the  faces  here  to-night  that  a  number  of  these 
wrongs  could  be  rectified  and  I  think  they  will  be. 
There  are  three  classes  of  men  I  don't  like.  There  is 
the  man  that    thinks  he    knows   everything.     I    don't 


THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

the  man  that  has  the    idea    that    everybody    that 
■s  with  him  do  >w    anything.     Whenever    I 

i  who  is  truly   s  d  with   things    is    they 

no    change,    wants    no    advancement, 

:  him  as  He  did  good  old  Elijah — take 
en,  he  is  no  use  on  earth." 
The  Burlington  having  lined   its  road  with    Pinker- 
id: 

•  I  ~  as  en  anything  like  labor  disturbances  in 
country  :      N    .       Have  you  seen  any  farmers  or- 
gan           Eor   the   purpose  of  destroying    property    or 
violating  the  la  Have  vou  seen  anv  of  the  rail- 

- 

road    men  through  this  countrv   proposing  to  destrov 

property    in    any   way.     I    have   heard  nothing  of  it. 

not  an  extraordinary  speech  that  the  governor 

should  :he  other  day  in  Omaha  when  he  told  the 

to  be   on  guard — to  be  watchful.     I  will 

d  injustice  because  1  have  a  good  deal  of  re- 

iovernor  Tl.  ::>ut  I  thought  it  was  a  re- 

ech  indeed,  for  them  to  be  inreadines;.  or 

_    of   that   kind,   that  if  these  labor  troubles 

continued    thev   might   be  called    into  active  service. 

at    did    he    mean    bv  that  I  wonder  ?     Had  there 

a  anv  threatenings    around  here  bv  laboring  men 

that  would  suggest  the  proposition  that  they  must  be 

in    readiness   to    fight.     Was    there    anything  of  that 

kinc 

•  I  want  to  say  to  the  governor  if  he  has  a  companv 
nilitia    that  he  let  the   golden  opportunity  slip  bv. 

There  was  a  time  that  he  might   have  used  that  militia 

not  only  with  credit  to  himself,  but  credit   to  the  state 

raska.     When    the    news    flashed    across    the 

feb.)  Review. 


THE    STRIKE    NOT    OFF. 

:om  Chicago  that  250  thugs  from  the 
Chicago    hai.  a  the  train  with  Winches 

and  were  coming  over  here  into  the 
to  preserve  peace,  if  Governor  Thay<  1  to 

-  the  1. 

e  met  those  men  at  the  Missouri  nd  ne 

hem  come  into  t)  Lo°g  and  loud  ap; 

But  I  don't  want  to  say  a  harsh  thing  to  the  _         nor, 
because  I  have  aiv  a  a  personal  fri 

but  whenever  the  governor  of  any  stc. 
and  let  the  rights  of  the  people  be  trampled  upon  by  a 
lot  of  thugs  from  Chicago  I  think  it  is  time  t    _        that 
governor  warning.  I  do  i:  And 

I  will  tell  vou  one  thing,   had  I  been  governor  of 
state   tho^       -  have  crossed  1 

souri  river.       1  understand  that  they  are  marching  on 
the  platforms  of  the  depots  in  this  state  yet.  unlawfully 
here,  intruders,  and  the  governor  should  - 
are  not  here.     I  am  ashamed  of  it.     They  are  n 
but   thug.-  shims  of   C 

Thev  arc  not  lit  to  watch  a  hen  roos 

L.  W.  R   gers  paid 
He  said  in  part: 

"  In  the  war  c :       "      G       .  Britain  proposed 

and  America  proposed  to  have  a  right  to 
if  a  heavier  bu:  ould  be  imposed  upon  them, 

and  w":  their  money  think  they 

had  th       _    .  to  deny  that  England  had  the  pc 
what  -hould  be  levied,  and  I 

at  if  she  hac  this  right  s 

had  t  ght  of  dictator  c 

<he   had 


428  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

levy  and  impose  taxes  and  burdens  upon  the  people  in 
this  country,  and  take  that  money  and  spend  it  as  she 
chose:  and  in  this  struggle  to-day  England  has  an  ex- 
act parallel  in  this  country,  and  that  is  the  C,  B.  &  Q. 
railway  corporation.  [Applause.]  There  was  a  party 
of  the  second  part.  They  were  the  patriots  of  the 
American  colonies.  They  were  the  men  who  said,  we 
will  resist  this  tyranny.  They  were  the  men  who 
said,  you  can  rob  us  to  a  certain  extent,  but  you  cannot 
trample  upon  our  manhood.  They  were  the  men  who 
demanded  justice.  They  were  the  men  who  said,  we 
will  resist  until  death,  and  said  they  were  willing  to 
die  that  the  cause  of  liberty  should  live.  They  were 
the  men  who  were  made  out  of  the  same  stuff  that 
Patrick  Henry  was,  who  said:  'Give -me  liberty  or 
give  me  death,'  and  that  party  has  an  exact  parallel  in 
this  struggle  to-dav,  and  it  is  the  C,  B.  &  Q.  strikers. 
And  there  was  another  party — a  party  of  the  third 
part — and  they  were  called  the  tories.  They  were 
men  who  were  born  and  bred  upon  the  American  soil. 
Thev  were  the  men  who  were  raised  under  the  same 
influence  that  gave  birth  to  freedom.  They  were  the 
men  who  were  raised  by  the  side  of  these  same  patriots 
that  went  out  to  fight  fearlessly  for  liberty,  and  yet 
these  men  raised  under  these  influences  turned  against 
the  country.  They  said,  we  will  defend  tyranny.  We 
will  arise  in  the  defense  of  slavery.  We  will  stamp 
down  the  spirit  of  liberty.  We  will  destroy  all  good 
and  noble  principles,  while  such  men  as  John  Adams 
was  saying:  'For  the  spirit  of  this  declaration  we  mu- 
tually pledge  to  each  other  our  lives,  our  fortunes  and 
oui  sacred  honors,'  and  that  party  to-day  has  an  exact 


THE    STRIKE    NOT   OFF.  429 

parallel  in  the  struggle,  and  these  are  the  scabs."  ' 

This  is  only  a  sample  of  what  was  being  done  in  all 
directions;  the. sympathy  engendered  by  these  meet- 
ings and  the  incompetency  of  the  men  employed  by  the 
Burlington  produced  in  a  great  measure  the  following- 
result  : 

The  gross  earnings  for  June  show  a  decrease  of 
only  $186,899  compared  with  the  previous  year,  but 
the  operating  expenses  increased  $320,047,  which 
brings  the  total  net  decrease  for  the  month  up  to  one 
half  a  million  dollars.  The  decrease  in  net  earnings 
from  Jan.  1  to  July  1  amounts  to  nearly  $5,000,000. 
With  this  report,  it  would  seem  unnecessary  to  men- 
tion any  wrecks;  it  contains  all  the  evidence  necessary 
as  to  the  Burlington's  condition. 

On  the  5th  of  July  was  sprung  the  Pinkerton  de- 
tective sensation,  astonishing  the  public,  and  aston- 
ishing the  two  Brotherhoods  fully  as  much.  The 
two  chairmen  of  the  grievance  committee  were  ar- 
rested; but  it  did  not  create  a  stampede  among  the 
strikers,  a  result  that  was  very  much  desired  and  ex- 
pected. Violence  was  contrary  to  their  habits  and 
their  principles.  They  refused  to  believe  that  any  of 
their  number  were  guilty,  and  they  kept  on  their  way 
as  though  it  had  not  happened.  On  the  10th  the 
Burlington  reduced  their  force  of  switchmen  at  Kan- 
sas City,  -Mo.  The  switchmen  claimed  that  the  com- 
pany agreed  to  keep  them  all  at  work,  if  they  would 
stay  when  the  engineers  and  firemen  struck  until  the 
strike  was  declared  off.  Six  of  them  were  discharged 
however,  and  they  all  walked  out.  The  switchmen 
in  the  yards  of   the    other    roads,    through    sympathy 

1  Li.icoln  (Neb.)  Review. 


43°  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

with  these,  again  put  the  boycott  on  the  Burlington. 
The  officials  of  all  the  roads  were  convened  in 
Kansas  City,  but  by  the  advice  of  the  grand  master 
of  their  order,  Mr.  Monoghan,  the  strike  was  declared 
off.  and  scab  switchmen  were  employed  in  their 
places. 

At  the  suggestion  of  a  Wabash  official,  two  engi- 
neers of  that  road  waited  upon  Mr.  Stone,  in  an  effort 
to  get  a  settlement,  and  secured  an  interview,  and  by 
common  consent  a  meeting  was  agreed  upon  when 
Messrs.  Arthur  and  Sargent  could  be  present.  On 
July  14  these  gentlemen  were  requested  by  the  Brother- 
hood's legal  advisor,  Mr.  Sullivan,  to  come  to  Chicago 
on  the  16th.  The  meeting  was  appointed  for  that  day 
at  2  o'clock  p.  m.  The  leading  officials  and  their 
attorneys  of  both  sides,  were  present.  Mr.  Perkins 
wanted  the  strike  declared  off,  but  the  inducements 
were  not  very  great.  After  a  long  conference,  the 
following  propositions  were  made: 

1st.  Mr.  Perkins  would  take  back  such  of  the  men 
as  he  wanted  to  fill  the  positions  then  vacant,  and  as  he 
needed  more  engineers  and  firemen  he  would  give  the 
old  men  the  preference,  rather  than  hire  men  coming 
from  other  roads 

2nd.  That  the  order  issued  by  General  Superin- 
tendent Besler — that  the  switchmen  could  never 
work  for  the  Burlington  again,  or  to  that  effect — be 
rescinded,  and  they  would  be  treated  the  same  as  the 
engineers  and  firemen." 

3d.  That  a  letter  of  recommendation  would  be 
given  those  that  desired  to  get  employment  on  other 
roads,  providing  they  had  a  good   record    previous    to 


THE    STRIKE    NOT   OFF.  43 1 

engaging  in  the  strike. 

These  propositions  had  to  be  submitted  to  the  men, 
for  they  had  voted  the  strike  on,  and  must  vote  it   off, 
two  grand  officers  having  no  power  to  decide    the 
matter.      With  the  approval  of   Messrs.    Arthur   and 
Sargent,  the  two  chairmen  Hoge  and    Murphy,    were 
ed  to  go  over  the  line,    explain    the    situation    and 
ask  the  men  not  to  allow  pride,  or  sentiment    to    pre- 
vent them    from    taking   the    course    which   the   two 
nd    officers    were   convinced   was   the    wise    one. 
was  an    unpleasant   duty   to   perform,    the 
ler     can   judge  by    the    vote    which    stood    742 
inst,  to  9  in  favor.     While  the  two  chairmen   were 
d  in  taking  the  vote,   a   joint   meeting   of   the 
ingineers,   firemen,  switchmen  and  brake- 
>n  vened  at  Tootles  Opera    House,    St.   Joseph, 
ruesday,  July    24,    to    consider    the   Burlington 

About  seven  hundred  delegates  were  present, 
representing  lodges  of  the  United  States,  Canada,  and 
Mexico.  Great  care  was  taken  to  keep  the  proceed- 
ings as  quiet  as  possible.  Mr.  Frank  P.  McDonald, 
chairman  of  the  grievance  committee  of  the  local 
therhood,  called  the  meeting  to  order.  A  commit- 
tee was  appointed  to  search  the  opera  house  for  spies, 
with  a  lantern.  Finally  a  pair  of  shoes  was  found 
on  the  stairway  leading  up  into  the  attic,  above  the 
celling  of  the  gallery.  This  excited  suspicion,  and  the 
stage-carpenter,  whose  name  is  Moore,  was  asked 
about  the  shoes.  He  said  that  they  belonged  to  him, 
and  when  asked  to  describe  them  made  a  mistake.  A 
search  was  make  for  the  owner  of  the  shoes,  who  was 


432  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

found  secreted  in  the  chandelier  supports,  without 
clothes  on  except  a  honey-comb  undershirt  and  a  pair 
of  overalls.  His  name  was  David  Replogel,  a  short- 
hand writer  in  the  employ  of  Lancaster,  Thomas  & 
Dawes,  attorneys,  at  318  Francis  court." 

"Replogel  was  found  by  a  member  of  the  local 
Brakemen's  Brotherhood.  He  was  escorted  down  the 
ladder  amid  the  yells  of  the  Brotherhood  members, 
who  believed  that  Replogel  was  a  Pinkerton  employe. 
Replogel  stated  that  he  had  been  hired  by  Jake  W. 
Spencer,  formerly  publisher  of  the  Evening  News,  but 
now  proprietor  of  the  Journal  of  Commerce,  to  take  the 
proceedings  of  the  convention  in  short  hand  for  his 
paper.  He  said  that  he  was  to  be  paid  $25  for  the 
work,  and  admitted  that  the  stage  carpenter  had 
shown  him  the  hiding  place.  A  large  crowd  gathered 
around  him  when  he  was  brought  down  on  the  stage, 
and  but  for  the  interference  of  cooler  heads,  Replogel 
would  have  been  roughly  handled." 

"  He  had  taken  lunch  and  a  bottle  of  water  up  to 
his  hiding  place  and  was  prepared  to  remain  there  all 
clay." 

"He  was  marched  to  police  headquarters  through 
the  streets  in  his  bare  feet,  undershirt  and  overalls; 
bare  headed,  and  looked  more  like  a  chimney  sweep 
than  a  stenographer." 

"  Great  excitement  prevailed  while  Replogel  was 
being  taken  from  the  opera  house,  and  cries  of  '  Pink- 
erton spy  '    and  '  scab '  were  made  by  the  delegates." 

"  After  the  excitement  subsided  the  convention  pro- 
ceeded to  business,  and  elected  Frank  P.  McDonald 
permanent    chairman.     The    forenoon    was    spent    in 


THE    STRIKE    NOT    OFF. 


433 


speech  making  by  Frank  P.  Sargent  of  Terre  Haute, 
Indiana,  grand  master  of  the  Brotherhood  of  Locomo- 
tive Firemen,  R.  Powers,  master  of  the  local  Brake- 
men  Brotherhood,  and  Mr.  Ilitchins,  general  chairman 
of  the  grievance  committee  of  the  Kansas  City,  Fort 
Scott  &  Gulf  road.  M.  W.  Sullivan,  Charles  Porter' 
and  R.  Morris,  all  of  St  Joe,  Were  elected  secretaries.', 

This  meeting  tended  greatly  towards  harmonizing 
the  various  interests  of  railroad  employes,  it  being  com- 
posed of  engineers,  firemen,  switchmen,  and  brakemen. 
It  was  agreed  that  federation  was  in  the  interest  of  all, 
and  that  each  order  should,  at  its  coming  convention, 
pass  such  laws  as  were  necessary  to  put  it  in  practical 
operation.  This  meeting  heartily  approved  the  action 
taken  by  the  Burlington  strikers,  in  refusing  to  accept  the 
terms  offered  by  that  company  and  declare  the  strike  off. 

"Inasmuch  as  it  was  at  Stone's  request  that  the 
chairmen  of  the  Q.  grievance  committee  took  their 
unnecessary  trip  over  the  system,  they  felt  that  it 
was  incumbent  upon  them,  as  a  matter  of  courtesy,  to 
wait  on  Mr.  Stone  upon  their  return  and  announce 
the  result  of  their  pacific  mission." 

"Mr.  Stone  received  them  pleasantry,  but  without 
any  overwhelming  demonstration  of  warmth.  When 
told  that  the  men  had  rejected  the  proposition,  Mr. 
Stone  only  said  that  he  was  sorry,  and  that  he  thought 
they  had  made  a  mistake."1 

It  was  anticipated  by  the  delegates  comprising  the 
St.  Joseph  meeting,  that,  at  the  meeting  which  had 
been  called  by  Grand  Chief  Arthur,  at  the  earnest 
solicitation  of  the  western  grievance  committeemen, 
to  meet  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  August  9,  that  it  would  be 

'Chicago  World. 


434  THE    EURLIXGTOX    STRIKE. 

opened  to  the  four  orders  above  mentioned,  and  that 
the  federation  should  be  further  discussed.  But  that 
meeting  was  very  exclusive,  none  but  grievance  com- 
mitteemen being  admitted.  Mr  Arthur  stated  at  this 
meeting  that  he  would  not  object  to  federation — each 
order  retaining  its  individuality — with  a  board  com- 
posed of  members  of  all  the  orders  to  which  problems 
should  be  submitted  which  the  separate  orders  had 
been  unable  to  solve.  The  St.  Louis  meeting  was 
decidedly  unproductive,  and  it  clearly  proved  that  con- 
servatism was  daily  becoming  stronger. 
'  At  the  convention  of  the  firemen,  held  at  Atlanta, 
Ga.,  a  federation  law  was  passed,  and  a  committee  was 
appointed  to  present  it  to  the  switchmen's  convention 
then  being  held  in  St.  Louis.  That  bodv  approved  of 
a  modified  form,  and  the  brakemen's  convention  fol- 
lowed without  taking  decided  action,  but  left  their 
doors  open  for  future  decision.  The  engineers'  con- 
vention followed,  at  Richmond,  Va.,  when  it  was 
thought  the  engineers  would  surely  fall  in  line,  and  pass 
some  law  on  federation.  But  the  earnest  believers  in 
the  benefits  of  such  a  law,  were  doomed  to  disappoint- 
ment. Mr.  Arthur,  from  some  cause,  had  changed 
his  mind,  and  the  plan  was  defeated  by  a  small  ma- 
jority. At  this  convention  a  resolution  was  carried,  that 
a  committee  of  men  be  appointed  to  settle  the  strike 
on  the  Burlington  and  declare  it  off,  and  the  Grand 
Chief  appointed  A.  R.  Cavner,  S.  G.  A.  E.,  of  Cali- 
fornia, chairman;  A.  W.  Logan,  Ohio:  Thomas  Hum- 
phry, Ohio;  E.  Kent,  N.  J.;  A.  L.E.May.  Wis.:  Thos. 
Holinrake,  Ontario,  Can.;  T.  P.  Bellows.  Miss.;  A. 
W.  Perlev.  Oregon:  Win,  C.  Hays,  Minneso? 


CHAPTER  XLIX. 

DYNAMITE. 

The  Associated  Press  of  July  5,  heralded  the  great 
sensational  arrest  of  "  Thomas  Broderick  and  James 
Bowles,  members  of  the  Brotherhood  of  Locomotive 
Engineers,  and  another  man  named  Wilson,  on  a  Chi- 
cago, Burlington  &  Quincy  train  this  afternoon, 
brought  to  Chicago,  and  locked  in  the  county  jail, 
under  bonds  of  $5,000  each,  charged  with  conspiring 
to  destroy  the  railroad  company's  property.  They 
had  a  considerable  quantity  of  dynamite  in  their  pos- 
session when  arrested." 

"  It  is  stated  that  the  Burlington  company  has  had  a 
large  force  of  detectives  engaged  for  a  long  time  in 
watching  the  movements  of  the  strikers.  Several  so- 
called  '  agitators,'  whose  movements  corresponded 
with  some  of  the  past  attempts  upon  the  company's 
property,  were  put  under  special  surveillance.  '  It  was 
discovered  that  dynamite  was  used  in  several  unsuc- 
cessful attempts  to  wreck  trains  within  the  past  few 
months.  The  principal  suspects  were  not  allowed  to 
make  a  move,  day  or  night,  without  being  under  the 
watchful  eye  of  the  officers.  It  was  impossible  at  first 
to  locate  the  dynamite,  but  the  officials  of  the  'Q.'  as- 
sert to-night  that  positive  information  was  finally  re- 
ceived to-day  that  this  was  the  day  chosen  for  a  grand 
attack  upon  the  company's  property.  The  officials  are 
very    reticent    regarding    their    source  of  information, 


436  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

but  the  plot  is  known  to  them,  and  they  admit  that  be- 
sides a  definite  plan  to  blow  up  trains  upon  the  tracks  by 
means  of  dynamite  cartridges,  that  it  included  the  pos- 
sibility of  an  attack  upon  the  depot  property  and  mag- 
nificent office  buildings  here." 

"  The  officials  say  that  if  the  danger  had  not  been 
so  imminent  they  would  have  allowed  the  conspirators 
to  go  on  and  further  criminate  themselves,  but  the 
plot  had  reached  a  stage  where  it  was  necessary  to 
take  decisive  steps  to  prevent  great  destruction  of 
property,  not  to  say  loss  of  human  life." 

"Superintendent  of  Motive  Power,  G.  W.  Rhodes, 
swore  out  a  warrant  to-dav,  and  deputy  Marshal  Bur- 
chard  proceeded  with  it  to  Aurora,  in  company  with 
detectives.  Their  men  were  located  and  shadowed  to 
the  2:1c;  afternoon  train  for  Chicago.  Thomas  Brod- 
erick  and  James  Bowles,  two  ex-Brotherhood  engineers 
of  the  '  Q.,'  were  seen  to  board  the  train  in  company 
with  a  man  not  known  to  the  officers.  A  fourth  man 
they  were  looking  for  was  not  identified.  The  strange 
man.  who  proved  to  be  John  Q.  Wilson,  took  a.  double 
seat  beside  Broderick,  while  Bowles  sat  just  across  the 
aisle.  The  train  had  barely  started  when  the  officers 
tapped  the  men  on  the  shoulders  and  made  them 
prisoners.  The  men  had  taken  off  their  coats  and 
under  the  two  coats  lying  between  Broderick  and 
Wilson  upon  the  seat  was  an  innocent  looking  pack- 
age wrapped  in  a  newspaper.  When  he  had  captured 
this  Detective  McGintv's  look  of  triumph  quickly  fad- 
ed as  he  realized  the  possible  danger  of  its  contents. 
While  they  were  putting  the  bracelets  on  the  prisoners, 
Broderick  quick!}-  snatched  a  letter  from  his  pocket 


DYNAMITE. 


437 


and  threw  it  out  of  the  window/' 

"  McGinty  sprang  to  the  bell  rope  and  stopped  the 
train.  Running  back  along  the  track  he  found  the 
letter.  It  is  now  in  the  possession  of  District  Attorney 
Ewing.  He  refuses  to  reveal  its  contents,  but  Gener- 
al Manager  Stone  intimated  that  its  contents  gave  im- 
portant information  regarding  the  plot." 

"  The  officers  reached  the  city  with  their  prisoner 
without  incident.  Broderick  and  Wilson  being  stoically 
indifferent  to  everything,  while  Bowles  was  profuse  in 
his  explanations  of  '  mistakes.'  " 

"  A  valise  was  taken  from  Bowles  and  several  let- 
ters and  papers.  These  were  taken  to  the  district  at- 
torney's office  with  the  newspaper  package,  and 
was  then,  for  the  first  time,  examined  and  found  to 
contain  four  dynamite  cartridges,  each  about  ten  inches 
long,  and  an  inch  and  a  quarter  square.  These  were 
fitted  with  a  small  fuse  to  each,  and  Mr.  Rhodes  estimat- 
ed that  they  each  contained  about  a  pound  of  dyna- 
mite. In  Broderick's  pocket  in  a  purse,  were  found 
several  small  dynamite  fulminating  caps." 

"  The  prisoners  were  taken  before  United  States 
Commissioner  Hoyne  on  their  arrival  here.  Bowles 
asked  for  Chairman  Hoge,  of  the  old  Burlington 
grievance  committee,  and  also  for  Attorney  Sullivan. 
These  gentlemen  were  sent  for  and  while  waiting 
Bowles  talked  quite  freely.  He  claimed  that  he  knew 
nothing  about  the  dynamite,  He  worked  on  the  Atch- 
ison road  until  March,  when  he  was  discharged  for 
putting  a  fireman  off  his  cab.  During  the  strike  he 
went  to  work  on  the  Burlington  and  remained  thirteen 
days,  when  his  brother,  a  Brotherhood  engineer,  in- 


438  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

duced  him  to  leave  the  company's  employ.  Since  that 
time  the  Brotherhood  has  paid  his  wages  and  he  has 
been  traveling  about.  He  went  to  Creston  a  few 
days  ago,  as  he  says,  to  brace  the  strikers  up  as  they 
were  becoming  weak,  but  he  claims  he  never  counseled 
them  to  do  anything  wrong.  He  claimed  not  to  know 
the  men  who  were  arrested  with  him." 

"  When  Chairman  Hoge,  learned  the  full  gravity  of 
the  charge,  he  offered  Bowles  but  cold  consolation. 
The  district  attorney  arrainged  the  defendants  under 
section  5,353  of  the  United  States  revised  statutes,  and 
Commissioner  Hoyne  held  them  under  $5,000  bonds 
each  for  examination  on  the  13th  inst." 

" '  I  cannot  get  you  any  bail  to-night,'  said  Hoge 
coldly  to  Bowles  in  response  to  the  latter's  fervent 
appeal  to  be  kept  out  of  jail.  Then  he  promised  that 
an  attorney  would  be  secured  at  once  and  that  an 
effort  would  be  made  to  get  them  bail  to-morrow. 
All  of  the  men  denied  positively  that  they  knew  any- 
thing about  the  dynamite  and  disclaimed  ownership  of 
the  bundle  found  on  the  seat  between  them." 

"  General  Manager  Stone  was  seen  by  a  reporter, 
and  told  substantially  the  same  story  as  related  above. 
He  would  not  say  anything  more  to-night  regarding 
the  nature  of  the  information  in  the  company's  posses- 
sion, but  added  that  he  believed  that  high  officers  in 
the  Brotherhood  are  connected  with  the  conspiracy  to 
use  dynamite."  ' 

The  Brotherhoods  were  as  much  astonished,  if  not 
more  than  the  public.  The  strikers  did  not  believe  it, 
and  voted  in  the  face  of  it,  to  continue  the  strike,  be- 
lieving it  was   the    work    of  the    Pinkerton    agency. 

1  Kansas  City  Journal. 


DYNAMITE.  439 

The  Pinkerton  men  had  been  strung  over  the  length 
of  the  Burlington  system,  and  it  was  in  their  interest 
to  show  the  proficiency  of  that  force  by  some  startling 
developments.  They  had  used  up  an  immense  amount 
of  money  without  being  practically  useful.  They 
must  redeem  their  calling.  The  men  also  believed 
the  Burlington  would  use  whatever  clue  was  given 
them,  and  use  it  to  its  utmost,  and  there  was  nothing 
in  the  after  developments  that  changed  that  belief. 
Following  July  5,  came  in  quick  succession,  the  arrests 
of  J.  A.  Bauereisen,  chief  engineer  of  Div.  32, 
George  Goding  a  member  of  both  engineers  and 
firemen's  order,  Alexander  Smith  of  the  firemen's  order, 
and  A.  Koegal  of  the  engineers,  at  Aurora.  Then 
came  the  arrest  of  the  two  chairmen,  Hoge  and  Mur- 
phy, on  a  charge  of  conspiracy,  at  Chicago.  Then 
followed  the  arrest  of  George  Clark  and  George  D. 
Meiley,  of  Galesburg.  A  joint  indictment  being  made 
against  J.  A.  Bauereisen  in  each  case  until  there  were 
16  charges,  requiring  $37,500  bail,  all  of  which  was 
immediately  furnished.  If  this  was  not  for  persecu- 
tion, the  indications  were  very  deceiving.  All  along 
the  line  was  heralded  the  finding  of  dynamite,  in  an 
apparent  effort  to  fasten  disgrace  upon  the  Brother- 
hoods. These  stories  may  have  originated  wholly  in 
the  fervid  brain  of  the  reporter,  but  the  public  found 
the  following  food  for  mental  bias  in  the  newspapers: 

ANOTHER    PLOT    AGAINST   THE    ".Q." 

Nebraska  City,  Neb.,  July  16 — Officials  of  the 
Burlington  road  here  claim  to  have  unearthed  a  plot 
to  blow  up  the  new  bridge  on  the  Missouri  river  with 
dvnamite,  shipped  here  for  that  purpose,  it  is  claimed, 


44° 


THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 


by  striking  engineers.  The  dynamite,  it  is  asserted, 
has  been  located,  and  the  parties  in  possession  of  it 
are  under  detective  surveillance,  and  will  be  arrested 
when  sufficient  evidence  is  secured.  The  officers  also 
claim  that  dynamite  was  shipped  to  Plattsmouth  and 
Rulo  for  a  similiar  purpose.  Startling  developments 
are  looked  for." ' 

It  is  unnecessary  to  say  that  these  startling    devel- 
opments  never  materalized,    but  on  the    other    hand 
it    produced    what   every   aggressive    move    that    is 
pushed  to  extremes  by  capital  always  does — solidified 
the  very  element  the  aggression  is    intended    to    dis- 
rupt.    The  following  extracts  from  the  master   work- 
man of  Nebraska,  is  significent  of  this  fact.     He  says, 
"  I  have  not  forgotten  the  sufferings  of   many  of  our 
own  brethren  at  the  hands  of   these    Pinkerton    free- 
booters.    I  distinctly  remember,  and  it  is  within    the 
recollection  of  other  members    of  a   few   years  ago, 
when  a  prominent  Knight  of  Labor  of  Michigan  was 
arrested  and  imprisoned  by  this  same  gang  of  mercen- 
aries.    He    was    arrested    without    cause.     He    was 
plunged  into  a  dungeon.     He  was  a  man  of  clean  pri- 
vate life  and  honest  public  record.     But  so  skillful  was 
the  conspirator's  net  that  the  Pinkertons    had    woven 
about  him — so  clearly  did  the  crime  that  was  their  do- 
ing, cling  to  him,  that  it  seemed    impossible    to    prove 
his   innocence.     Guiltless   he    was,    but    it    cost    the 
Knights  of  Labor  $15,000  to  successfully   carry    his 
case    through    the    courts.     These    same    miscreants 
under  the  guise  of  decency,  have  become  members  of 
the  Knights  of  Labor  Assemblies,  and  of   the    engi- 
neers,  have  organized  conspiracies,  have  procured  the 

l  Wymore  (Neb.)  Democrat. 


DYNAMITE.  44 1 

arrest  of  Knights  without  cause." 

"In  the  city  of  Beatrice  there  are  about  700  Knights 
of  Labor  in  good  and  bad  standing.  Of  other  labor 
organizations  there  is  membership  enough  to  swell 
the  number  beyond  1,000.  Suppose  this  number  of 
men  should  absolutely  refuse  to  buy  a  penny's  worth 
of  goods  thai  was  shipped  over  the  Burlington  road. 
Suppose  that  they  should,  as  one  man,  boycott  the 
merchant  who  ships  his  goods  over  the  Burlington 
road!  How  long  would  that  merchant  be  able  to 
sustain  himself  in  business?  Indeed,  how  many  weeks 
would  it  be  before  not  a  pound  of  freight  arrived  or 
departed  from  the  B.  &  M.  depot  of  Beatrice?  Re- 
member in  this  connection  that  these  1,000  men  stand- 
ing together,  would  have  an  influence  that  would  lead 
more  than  double  their  number,  or  six  times  their 
number  to  boycott  the  road  and  the  men  who  dared 
patronize  it.  This  shows  the  power  and  resources  of 
organized  labor,  and  monopoly  understands  its  capac- 
itv  far  better  than  do  its  members.  No  directions  are 
necessary;  every  brother  will  understand  for  himself  his 
duties  in  these  premises. 

"If  the  Brotherhoods  fail,  it  makes  doubly  certain  that 
we  shall  follow  in  their  footsteps  in  wrhatever  struggles 
of  our  own  we  may  have.  In  a  word,  the  hopes  of 
corporations  are  in  the  disorganization  of  labor. 
Their  wealth,  and  skill,  and  secret  detective  work,  are 
all  directed  to  that  end.  Knights  of  Labor  ought  to 
have  sufficient  experience  from  the  past;  and  should 
need  no  warning.  N.  D.  Hubbard. 

State  Master  Workman  K.  of  L.,  in  Nebraska. 

All  through  the  dynamite  plot  and  trial,  Pinkerton- 


442  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

ism  was  ever  present.  On  the  statement  of  John 
Kelley,  charging  them  with  conspiracy,  Messrs.  S.  E. 
Hoge,  chairman  of  the  general  grievance  committee 
of  the  Brotherhood  of  Locomotive  Engineers,  and  J. 
H.  Murphy,  chairman  of  the  firemen's  committee, 
were  arrested  by  Inspector  Bonfield,  of  the  Chicago 
Detective  force,  on  warrants  sworn  out  by  General 
Manager  Stone,  of  the  Burlington. 

The  names  of  John  J.  Kelley  and  John  H.  McGillvary 
were  also  on  this  list  for  arrest,  both  clerks  for  Hoge 
and  Murphy.  Messrs.  Hoge  and  Murphy  were  taken 
to  the  police  court  and  placed  in  separate  cells.  Frank 
Collier,  attorney  for  the  Burlington  was  there,  and  so 
was  Inspector  Bonfield.  A  moment  later  Alexander 
Sullivan  entered,  he  being  Hoge  and  Murphy's  attor- 
ney and  advisor  in  civil  cases. 

"  <  This  case,'  said  Mr.  Collier,  '  grows  out  of  the 
circular  sent  out  to  the  Brotherhood  lodges  asking  that 
Brotheroood  men  be  sent  on  to  take  places  on  the  'Q,' 
and  suggesting  that  they  bring  a  good  supply  of  sal 
soda  and  emery  with  them.  The  sending  of  these 
circulars  is  deemed  prima  facie  evidence  of  a  share  in 
a  concerted  conspiracy,  and  we  have  a  sure  case 
against  the  prisoners." 

"  We  are  going  to  show  enough  to  prove  a  clear 
case  against  them — a  sure  case.  If  you  want  to  know 
anything  more,  ask  Bonfield.  He  has  had  charge  of 
the  case  all  the  time." 

Ex-Judge  Barnum  was  retained  in  the  criminal  case. 
Hoge  and  Murphy  were  arrested  in  the  morning,  and 
Inspector  Bonfield  says,  "Kelley  and  McGillvary  were 
arrested  in  the  afternoon.     When  arrested  they  sent 


DYNAMITE.  443 

for  me  and  I  went  to  see  them  at  the  armory." ! 
Then  follows  what  appears  to  be  an  astonishing  revel- 
ation. 

"  Where  are  these  men  now  ?  " 

"  They  are  not  in  jail,  but  have  gone  into  voluntary 
retirement,  answered  the  inspector. " 

Inspector  Bonfield  gave  to  the  public  the  idea  that 
he  knew  nothing  of  Kelley  prior  to  this  arrest,  but  the 
evidence  is  conclusive  that  Kelley  had  furnished  infor- 
mation to  the  detective  agency,  "  and  acknowledges 
in  court  that  he  had  received  pay  from  a  friend  while 
he  was  in  the  employ  of  Chairman  Hoge,"*  and 
there  is  no  doubt  that  the  arrest  of  the  two  chairmen 
was  made  on  the  statement  of  Kelley,  and  that  Kelley 
furnished  the  detectives  a  copy  of  the  sal  soda  and 
emery  circular,  represented  to  have  been  sent  out 
signed  by  the  two  chairmen.  Squealer  Kelley,  as  he 
was  called,  was  a  switch  engineer  in  the  Chicago 
yards  for  the  Burlington,  and  was  taken  into  the 
Brotherhood  of  Engineers  after  the  strike  began.  He 
had  sailed  under  an  alias,  as  Charles  Cordell.  He  fig- 
ured conspicuously  as  a  '  defamer '  in  the  case  of  Sophia 
Havelich  vs.  the  Chicago  Hansom  Cab  Co.  This 
lady  was  injured  by  the  carelessness  of  a  cab  driver, 
and  Kelly  was  employed  by  the  agent  of  the  Cab  Co. 
to  rent  a  room  of  the  lady's  mother  for  the  express 
purpose  of  acting  as  a  spy.  He  applied  for  a  room 
and  was  told  they  had  none  furnished.  Kelley  report- 
ed to  the  agent,  and  was  instructed  to  rent  the  room 
and  it  would  be  furnished,  which  was  done." 2  In  the 
Chicago  Tribune  of  December  22,  1888,  appears  the 
following:  "Judge  Altgeld  waxed    wroth    yesterday, 

1  St.  Louis  Globe  Democrat.        -  Court  record  of  evidence,  Dec.  19. 


444 


THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 


over  the  evident  disposition  of  a  witness  in  his  court, 
to  wriggle  out  of  a  tight  box.  J.  J.  Kelley  wa.-  the 
name  of  the  witness,  and  he  has  been  conspicuous  in 
the  C,  B.  &  Q.  dynamite  proceedings  against  Beau- 
reisen  at  Aurora.  Sophia  Havelich  is  sueing  the  Chi- 
cago Hansom  Cab  Co.  for  being  run  over  by  a  cab, 
and  part  of  the  defense  is,  that  she  has  attended  thea- 
ters and  other  places  of  amusement,  when  she  claimed 
to  have  been  sick.  Kelley  testified  that  he  saw  her 
go  to  the  theater,  and  on  cross  examination  by  attor- 
neysjohn  Gibbons  andTreffy,  they  attempted  to  make 
him  admit  that  he  was  a  paid  spy.  Kelley  found  that 
the  value  of  his  evidence  would  be  greatly  impaired  if 
he  admitted  that,  and  he  began  to  prevaricate,  in  order 
to  free  himself.  Evasions  were  so  patent,  that  judge 
Altgeld's  temper  arose,  and  he  promptly  ordered  him 
from  the  witness  stand,  and  said  he  had  a  great  mind 
to  send  him  to  jail  for  contempt.  The  jury  returned 
a  verdict  for  $3,500,  in  favor  of  Miss  Havelich.  the 
evidence  showing  that  it  was  through  the  drunkenness 
of  the  driver  that  she  wras  run  over." 1  This  specimen 
of  human  depravity  who  loaned  himself  for  this  despic- 
able work  against  a  woman,  was  one  of  the  main  wit- 
nesses in  the  dynamite  case. 

J.  A.  Bowles,  who  was  arrested  on  the  train  on  July 
5,  went  to  work  on  the  Burlington  as  a  scab.  His 
brother,  who  is  a  member  af  the  Brotherhood,  hearing 
of  it,  went  to  Aurora  and  induced  him  to  quit.  He 
was  taken  to  the  engineers'  and  firemen's  hall. 
"Bowles  expressed  deep  contrition,  shedding  great 
tears  of  remorse,  but  shortly  after  he  wanted  to  head 
a  mob,    go  out  and  do  violence  to  the  scabs    and   the 

1  Statement  of  persons  present. 


DYNAMITE 


445 


company.'"1  lie  wanted  to  do  something  desperate 
in  order  to  show  that  he  was  really  converted.  He 
was  taken  inlo  the  Brotherhood  April  22.  Before  this, 
dynamite  had  never  been  thought  of.  Bowles  testified 
before  the  examining  magistrate  at  Aurora  Jutv  25, 
that  at  a  regular  meeting  two  weeks  after  he  was  in- 
Mated,  and  in  the  presence  of  all  there  assembled,  that 
"John  A.  Beaureisen  made  a  statement  that  the  com- 
pany was  getting  the  best  of  them,  and  that  there  had 
to  be  something  done,  and  advised  the  use  of  dvna- 
mile  and  talked  it  so  that  all  could  hear  it.  While 
every  man  present  at  that  meeting  swore  that  no  such 
statement  was  ever  made,"  s  and  from  my  own  knowl- 
edge of  the  men,  and  the  Brotherhood,  no  such  lan- 
guage could  have  been  used  without  bringing  a  storm 
of  indignation.  Men  of  undoubted  integrity  were 
present.  That  the  statement  was  a  lie  needs  no  proof. 
Bowles  testified  on  page  34.  Q.  by  Mr.  Donahue. 
What  was  it  that  he  (meaning  Beaureisen)  said  to 
you  ?  A.  I  made  mention  to  him  that  I — oh,  you  are 
the  one  that  began  the  conversation,  was  it  after  the 
meeting  was  over  ?  A.  Yes,  sir.  It  would  seem 
from  this  that  Bowles  instead  of  Beaureisen  was  work- 
ing the  dynamite  plot.  At  the  preliminary  examination 
in  Chicago,  Bowles  is  taken  with  another  spasm  of 
contrition,  and  goes  over  to  the  side  of  the  prosecution. 
••Under  cross  examination  bv  Mr.  Donahue,  Bowles 
admitted  he  had  told  both  attorneys  for  the  defense 
while  in  the  county  jail,  that  he  was  an  innocent  man; 
that  he  did  not  know  anything  of  the  use  of  dynamite, 
and  that  he  had  lied  repeatedly  to  them  and  others  as 
to  his  innocence,  and  about  other  matters.     "But,"  he 

1  Chicago  Tribune.         '-'  From  evidence  in  dynamite  case. 


446  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

added  naively,  "I  was  not  on  oath  then." ' 

When  arrested,  Bowles  had  a  satchel  with  him  hav- 
ing all  the  damaging  evidence  possible,  conveniently- 
stored  in  it,  for  his  own  conviction,  and  to  compromise 
others.  This  acknowledged  liar  is  main  witness  No. 
2.  Bowles  had  retained  attorneys  Donahue  and 
David,  but  instead  of  consulting  with  them,  he  had 
consulted  with  the  attorneys  for  the  prosecution,  and 
by  their  advice  waived  examination.  This  brought 
such  a  scathing  rebuke  of  the  court  and  the  attorneys 
for  the  prosecution  from  Messrs.  Donahue  and  David 
that  the  court  ordered  Mr.  David  removed.  The 
prosecution  asked  for  a  continuance,  and  Mr.  Don- 
ahue opposed  it.  The  court  said,  "If  the  furtherance 
demands  it,  it  will  have  to  be  granted." 

Bowles  arose  from  his  chair  and  took  a  few  steps 
toward  the  court.  With  his  head  turned  toward  the 
judge  and  half  averted  from  the  gaze  of  the  specta- 
tors, with  his  right  hand  outstretched  in  the  attitude 
of  appeal,  and  in  a  voice  that  seemed  to  tremble  in  its 
tones,  he  said:  "It  is  tor  the  interest  of  justice,  your 
honor.  This  will  be  for  the  good  of  the  public.  AH 
that  I  will  say  here  will  only  be  for  the  sake  of  jus- 
tice, and  to  prove  that  I  am  an  innocent  man." ' 

Alexander  Smith,  a  fireman  who  was  arrested  as  a 
co-conspirator  with  Bowles,  testified  that  Bowles 
worked  him  into  the  conspiracv,  and  induced  him  to 
go  to  Eola  where  Bowles  put  the  dynamite  on  the 
track.  Bowles  also  left  dynamite  in  the  room  occu- 
pied by  A.  Koegal,  which  caused  Koegal's  arrest  as 
an  accomplice.  It  seemed  to  be  his  business  to  rub 
the  stuff  against  as  many  as    possible    in    Aurora,    in 

1  Chicago  World. 


DYNAMITE.  447 

Creston  and  in  Galesburg.  On  page  117  of  the 
court  record  Bowles  is  asked.  "Are  you  an  innocent 
man?"  And  he  answered,"  of  course  I  cannot  be  consi- 
dered an  innocent  man,  but  I  have  been  led  into  this 
by  mean  and  unprincipled  men." 

The  warrant  upon  which  the  men  were  arrested  on 
the  train,  July  5,  was  sworn  out  in  Chicago  in  the 
morning  and  the  arrest  was  made  in  the  afternoon; 
this  arrest  included  J.  A.  Bowles,  Thomas  Broderick 
and  J.  Q.  Wilson.  A  fourth  man  was  with  them  but 
the  Pinkerton  agent  said  he  got  away. 

In  the  preliminary  trial  it  was  developed  that  Wil- 
son was  not  an  engineer,  not  a  Brotherhood  man,  and 
not  even  Wilson.  His  name  was  John  Mulligan,  and 
he  was  a  Pinkerton  detective,  and  not  only  this  was  the 
case,  but  it  appears  he  has  had  the  confidence  of  all 
the  prisoners  and  their  attorneys. 

The  expose  was  brought  about  by  lawyer  Donahue 
too  closelv  pressing  the  cross  examination  of  Superin- 
tendent McGinn  of  the  Pinkerton  agency,  who  was 
on  the  witness  stand.  The  superintendent  had  the 
alternative  of  an  awkward  refusal  to  answer  pertinent 
questions  concerning  Wilson,  or  cause  the  latter  to 
show  up  in  his  true  colors.  McGinn  chose  the  latter. 
Wilson  or  Mulligan  obeyed  a  signal,  went  across  the 
room  to  the  side  of  the  persecution. 

It  was  developed  latter,  that  the  fourth  man  was  also 
a  Pinkerton  man  named  Ray.  Mulligan  alias  Wilson, 
had  been  in  the  employ  of  the  Burlington  since  Feb. 
29.  Mulligan  and  Ray  made  the  acquaintance  of 
Broderick,  they  say.  at  Creston,  Iowa,  and  a  very  pe- 
culiar  feature  of  the    detective    work   done    by   them 


448  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

from  their  own  evidence,  is  that  they  we're  companions 
of  Broderick,  they  were  not  shadowing  him,  but  with 
him,  drinking  his  whisky,  and  doing  divers  things  of 
a  social  nature.  There  is  no  evidence  given  by  them, 
that  they  never  entered  into  any  of  these  violations  of 
law,  but  they  went  to  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  with  him,  to 
Kansas  Citv  with  him,  to  Chicago  with  him,  and 
to  Aurora  with  him,  always  with  clean  hands, 
but  always  around  when  Broderick  got  so  full 
of  dynamite,  and  violations  of  law  that  he  could 
not  hold  it  anv  longer,  he  would  have  some  one 
handy  to  tell  it  to.  It  hardly  seems  probable,  that 
Broderick  or  any  sensible  man,  would  pick  up  a  tramp 
cooper,  and  a  gambler  and  give  them  all  of  his  con- 
fidence and  they  do  nothing,  but  be  attentive  listen- 
ers. If  they  did  not  enter  into  this  conspiracy,  how  did 
they  know  that  Bowles  and  Broderick  were  going  to 
board  the  train  at  Aurora  in  the  afternoon  having 
dynamite  in  their  possession  and  have  a  warrant  sworn 
out  at  8  o'clock  a.  m.  to  arrest  men  who  were  to  com- 
mit a  crime  at  2  :i5  p.  m.?  The  weight  of  this  great  trial 
fell  upon  John  A.  Bauereisen;  his  good  character  was 
proven  bv  witness  after  witness  to  have  been  of  the 
very  best. 

The  evidence  on  the  side  of  the  prosecution  was 
informer  Kelley,  who  acted  as  a  Pinkerton  spy,  while 
in  chairman  Hoge's  emplove.  and  as  a  liar  for  the 
Hansom  Cab  compan}^.  Bowles,  whose  testimony 
was  impeached  by  his  own  statements,  and  by  men 
who  swore  they  would  not  believe  him  under  oath. 
Smith  testifies  that  Bowles  worked  him  into  the 
business.      The  two  detectives  and  the  letters  Bowles 


•«ra5\3 


DYNAMITIC.  449 

had  conveniently  stored  in  his  satchel  when  arrested, 
which  Henry  L.  Tolman,  an  expert  who  had  made  a 
special  study  of  handwriting  for  eight  years  by  means 
of  the  microscope,  somewhat  startled  the  prosecution 
when  upon  the  stand  he  testified  that  the  letters  pur- 
porting to  come  from  Bauereisen  had  been  written  by 
two  and  possibly  three  persons. 

When  the  case  was  closed  and  ready  for  the  jury, 
the  Aurora  Express  of  Dec.  20,  located  at  the  home  of 
J.  A.  Bauereisen,  with  a  personal  acquaintance  with 
witnesses,  and  the  surrounding  circumstances,  said: 
"The  dark  clouds  which  have  hung  over  the  head  of  J. 
A.  Bauereisen  for  the  past  six  months  are  beginning 
to  grow  brighter,  and  gradually  to  be  dispelled. 
There  is  an  old  saying  that  you  can't  tell  what  a  jury 
will  do,  and  although  it  applies  to  this  case,  it  seems 
very  probable  that  the  jury  will  not  convict.  They 
may  disagree,  but  probably  will  acquit  the  prisoner. 
When  the  prosecution  were  presenting  such  an  array 
of  black  testimony  against  Bauereisen,  it  looked  to 
some  as  if  nothing  could  save  him,  but  the  defense  are 
clearing  up  matters  wonderfully.  When  it  comes  to  a 
question  of  veracity  between  such  men  as  El  wood 
Tucker,  George  Minott,  Joseph  Porter  and  others, 
and  the  self-confessed  villian  Bowles,  none  in  Aurora 
will  have  any  difficulty  in  knowing  whom  to    believe." 

In  his  address  to  the  jury  Mr.  Mills  denounced  the 
perjury  that  he  said  had  been  exposed  in  the  case. 

"There  has  been  outrageous  perjury-"  he  said; 
"perjury  so  palpable  as  to  need  no  exposing;  perjury 
so  outrageous  as  to  damn  the  perjurers;  perjury  so 
marvelous  as  to  stamp  the  perjurers  as  worse  than 
31 


450  THE   BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

fiends  and  fit  only  for  the  blackest  depths  of  infernal 
punishment.  Akin  to  perjury  is  the  motive  for  it,  and 
we  shall  see  without  much  of  an  effort  the  reason  for 
the  horrible  perjury  which  has  made  dark,  one  page 
of  the  history  of  this  court  room.  The  vitality,  the 
strength  of  this  prosecution  is  in  two  men,  John  Alex- 
ander Bowles  and  Alexander  Smith."  Mr.  Mills  re- 
viewed every  statement  they  had  uttered,  contrasted 
the  overwhelming  evidence  on  the  other,  and  piled  to 
their  charge  perjury  after  perjury. 

Messrs.  Donahue,  David  and  Mills,  of  Chicago, 
Alshuler  of  Aurora,  and  Irwin  of  Elgin,  were  the  prin- 
cipal attorneys  for  the  defense.  With  only  the  influence 
of  an  individual  and  his  personal  friends  and  well  wishers 
on  the  side  of  the  defense,  it  was  an  unequal  contest  pit- 
ted against  a  prosecution  representing  the  great  Bur- 
lington corporation,  wanting  to  break  the  power  of  the 
Brotherhood,  and  thePinkerton  agency  unscrupulous  in 
practice,  and  whose  future  in  such  work  for  corpora- 
tions depended  upon  conviction. 

The  eloquent  Mr.  Mills  in  closing  his  address   said: 

Gentlemen  of  the  Jury: — You  will  be  govern- 
ed by  the  truthful  testimony  you  have  heard  and  the 
obligations  of  your  oath.  You  will  therefore,  I  know 
certainly  do,  as  I  have  the  assurance  and  hope  that 
you  will,  give  to  this  defendant  the  justice  he  de- 
mands and  the  vindication  which  is  his  right. 

The  audience,  which  had  been  held  spellbound, 
burst  into  loud  cheering,  but  were  sternly  called  to  or- 
der by  the  judge,  who  expressed  his  disapproval  of  such 
demonstration.  The  Chicago  Herald of  Dec.  22,  illus- 
trates in  part  this  intelligent  jury  who    were  qualified 


DYNAMITE. 


451 


to  serve  because 
they  had  formed 
no  opinion  upon 
a  subject  upper- 
most in  the  minds 
of  the  whole  com- 
munity. After  fif- 
teen hours  they 
rendered  a  verdict 
that  astonished 
those  who  were 
best  a  c  qua  in  ted 
with  J.  A.  Bauerei- 
sen,  his  character 
and  the  surround- 
ing circumstances. 
Bauereisen,  Brod- 
Bauereisen  was  sentenced 
for  two  years,  Broderick  for  one  year,  Goding  a  line 
of  $500,  which  was  reduced  to  $100.  The  bene- 
fit of  a  doubt  could  not  have  been  given,  and 
while  those,  who  were  not,  in  the  minds  of  the  people, 
proven  guilty,  were  made  to  suffer  a  penalty,  those 
who  confessed  their  crime,  and  that  they  tried  to  invol- 
ved others  in  it,  and  despicable  in  character,  Bowles, 
Smith,  Kelly  and  company,  go  free  because  they 
could  be  used  to  weave  a  chain  around  the  necks  of 
others.  J.  A.  Bauereisen  is  denied  the  freedom  of 
the  world  and  is  out  of  the  Brotherhood,  but  is  not  out 
of  the  mind  of  his  friends,  and  is  not  looked  upon  as 
a  criminal,  but  as  a  creature  of  circumstances,  and  de- 
serves sympathy  rather  than  condemnation. 


SAMPLES  OF   THE  JURY. 

erickand  Godinef  were  tried. 


CHAPTER  L. 

THE  END  OF  THE  GREAT  STRIKE. 

The  committee  of  nine,  named  in  Chapter  xlvii, 
held  their  first  meeting  in  Chicago,  Dec.  27,  18SS. 
The  chairman  of  this  committee,  Mr.  A.  R.  Cavner, 
in  order  to  carry  as  much  weight  as  possible  with  the 

mmittee  he  represented,  called  to  Chicago  the  gen- 
eral grievance  committee  men  within  a  given  radius,  to 
confer  with  them,  and  find  how  much  of  a  unit  in  s<    - 
timent  remained  that  could  be  used    as    a    power    to 
compel  concessions  on    the    part    of    the    Burlington. 
The  Union  meetings  at  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  in  July,  had 
demonstrated  almost  a  unit   on  the    boycott,    but   the 
Kansas  City  meeting  was  conservative,  the  St.  L01   - 
meeting  was  still  more  so,  and  the  action  of   the  con- 
vention in  refusing  to  pass  a  federation  law.    put    the 
possibility  still  farther  away,  and  the  Chicago  meeting 
proved  conclusively  the  impossibility  of  an  aggressive 
move,  the  vote  on  the  boycott  standing  22  for,  to    43 
against.     Mr.  Cavner  had  been  over  the    line    of    the 
Burlington,    and   had   found   the    men    holding   their 
ground,  and  doing  whatever  it  was  possible  for    them 
to  do,  with  their  influence,  to  boycott  the  road.     The 
Brotherhood  throughout  the  country  were  doing    the 
same,  to  a  more  or  less  extent,  and    this   power    was 
greatly  felt  in  the  west,  where  the  Knights  of  Labor 
through  their  good  will  for  the  strikers,  refused  to  ride 
on  the  Burlington,  or  buy  goods  that  were  shipped  over 


THE    END    OF    THE    GREAT    STRIKE.  453 

it.  Mr.  Cavner  visited  each  point  where  the  men 
were  located,  and  delivered  an  address  to  them,  which 
was  very,  encouraging.  Mr.  Cavner  no  doubt,  ad- 
duced from  the  many  promises,  easily  given,  and  the 
power  he  believed  lay  dormant,  which  would  only 
need  a  little  spirited  discussion  to  bring  into  new  life, 
that  much  might  be  accomplished  for  the  strikers  in 
this  last  act,  by  the  committee  appointed  at  the  engi- 
neers' convention  for  the  express  purpose  of  settling 
the  strike.  But  he  counted  without  his  host,  and  the 
anticipated  power  did  not  materialize.  A  difference 
in  opinion  is  not  a  difference  in  principle.  The  men 
were  all  anxious  to  do  something  for  the  striking  en<ri- 
neers,    but  ten  months  after  the  inception  of  the  strike, 

-  too  late  a  day  to  vote  to  do  what  would,  in  all 
probability,  have  endangered  other  men's  places,  with- 
out any  assurance  that  it  it  would  benefit  those  in  whose 
interest  the  effort  was  to  be  made.  The  vote  upon  an 
vessive  move  should  not  have  been  taken.  Men 
will  talk,  and  the  very  influence  that  was  anticipated 
from  the  presence  of  these  leading  committeemen  was 
killed,  with  the  positive  knowledge  of  their  strength 
in  that  direction,  divulged  by  the  vote,  presumption 
was  worth  more  than  fact,  as  it  would  leave  the  offi- 
cials in  doubt,  while  the  vote  assured  them  that  noth- 
could  be  done  more  than  was  being  done  by  per- 
sonal, sympathetic  boycotting,  and  the  desire  on  the 
part  of  the  Burlington  officials  to  get  rid  of  this  bov- 
cott  and  ill  feeling,  which  had  been  engendered  to- 
wards that  company,  was  the  only  apparent  incentive 
for  any  settlement  at  all. 

With  the  strike  settled  bv  mutual  agreement,  a  part 


454  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

of  the  conditions  on  the  part  of  the  Brotherhoods 
must  be,  that,  so  far  as  it  was  in  their  power,  the  em- 
bargo should  be  raised,  and  the  company  left  without 
hindrance,  to  regain  its  old  customers  if  it  could.  The 
committee  of  nine,  as  a  whole,  were  extremely  conser- 
vative, and  it  is  a  very  reasonable  supposition  that 
they  were  known  to  be  so  when  appointed.  This 
committee  being  all  engineers,  and  the  firemen  being 
equally  interested,  Mr.  Cavner  requested  Grand  Mas- 
ter Sargent  to  appoint  a  committee  to  act  with  them. 
Mr.  Sargent,  feeling  that  he  had  been  slighted  in  this 
matter,  reluctantly  appointed  L.  Mooney,  of  St.  Joseph, 
Mo.,  and  L.  W.  Dixon,  of  Barraboo,  Wis.,  to  repre- 
sent the  firemen. 

An  audience  with  the  Burlington  officials  was  solicit- 
ed and  granted.  The  ground  was  gone  over  in  a 
lengthy  discussion,  and  finally  President  Perkins  was 
telegraphed  at  Boston  to  define  the  position,  which 
was  done  in  the  following  dispatch : 

"Boston, Jan.  3,  1889. 

To  Henry  B.  Stone,  Vice-President  C,  B.  &  Q. 
Railroad,  Chicago. 
"I  am  authorized  and  instructed  by  the  executive 
committee  now  in  session,  to  send  you  the  following : 
The  company  will  not  follow  up,  black  list,  or  in  any 
manner  attempt  to  proscribe  those  who  were  con- 
cerned in  the  strike,  but  on  the  contrary,  will  cheer- 
fully give,  to  all  who  have  not  been  guilty  of  violence, 
or  other  improper  conduct,  letters  of  introduction, 
showing  their  record  in  our  service,  and  will  in  all 
proper  ways,  assist  them  in  finding  employment. 
The  first  duty  of  the  management,  is  to  those  who  are 


THE    END    OF    THE    GREAT    STRIKE.  455 

in  the  company's  employ,  and  we  must  remember  and 
protect  their  interests,  by  promotion,  and  by  every 
other  means  in  our  power.  Beyond  this  if  it  should 
become  necessary  to  go  outside  of  the  service  for  men 
in  any  capacity,  it  is  our  intention  to  select  the  best 
men  available,  and  in  making  selections,  not  to  exclude 
those  who  engaged  in  the  strike  of  February  27,  if  they 
are  the  best  men  available,  provided  they  have  not  since 
been  guilty  of  violence  and  other  improper  conduct." 

(Signed)  C.  E.  Perkins. 

On  receipf'of  this  document  Mr.  Stone  was  asked  to 
define  the  word  available,  and  the  following  is  his  eva- 
sive reply: 

"  It  is  important  that  no  question  should  arise  as  to 
the  good  faith  of  the  company,  and  it  is  our  desire  and 
intention  that  there  should  be  no  opportunity  for  such 
question." 

"  As  to  the  meaning  of  the  word  available,  I  desire 
to  say  that  when  it  becomes  necessary  to  employ  men 
outside  of  those  now  in  our  service,  care  must  be  taken 
to  consider  all  of  the  qualifications  that  go  to  make  up 
availability,  including  experience  and  familiarity  with 
our  surroundings  and  rules.  In  short,  that  the  very 
best  men  are  to  be  selected,  regardless  of  personal  re- 
lations or  prejudices  for  or  against  any  man  or  class 
of  men." 

"While  men  who  have  been  guilty  of  improper  con- 
duct during  the  late  strike,  cannot  be  re-employed,  and 
while  we  cannot  give  letters  to  them,  no  officer  or  em- 
ploye, should  continue  the  animosities  of  the  conflict 
after  it  is  over,  or  interfere  to  prevent  the  employment 
of  such  men  elsewhere."  Henry  B.  Stone. 


45^  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

The  company  also  agreed  they  would  re-em- 
ploy what  men  they  needed  from  the  ranks  of  their 
former  employes,  'iand  all  striking  engineers,  firemen, 
switchmen,  and  brakemen  were  instructed  to  file  their 
applications  at  their  respective  division  headquarters 
if  they  desired  re-employment,  on  or  before  Febru- 
ary, 1SS9.  This  advice  was  given  at  the  request  of 
the  officials  of  the  company. "  The  conditions  were 
accepted  by  Mr.  Cavner's  committee,  and  the  strike 
declared  off.  The  men  along  the  line  complied  with 
the  instructions  and  sent  in  a  list  of  names  of'those  who  de- 
sired re-employment.  The  list  was  accepted  by  the  com- 
pany's officials,  but  they  required  that  each  one  should 
make  personal  application,  which  most  of  them  did. 

A  committee  was  appointed  by  the  chairman  of  the 
committee  of  nine,  consisting  of  A.  W.  Perley,  and  H. 
C.  Hayes  with  S.  W.  Dixon  for  the  firemen,  who 
were  instructed  to  go  over  the  system  and  explain  the 
conditions.  The  strikers  were  generallv  indignant, 
and  the  reception  of  these  gentlemen  was  anvthing  but 
a  pleasant  one.  An  undue  buoyancy  of  mind  had  been 
engendered  by  what  Mr.  Cavner  had  said  he  expected 
to  accomplish,  and  their  own  imagination  of  what  the 
committee  of  nine  could  do,  with  the  reality  as  present- 
ed by  these  gentlemen,  was  a  grievous  disappointment; 
not  that  they  expected  a  surrender  on  the  part  of  the 
Burlington,  but  they  expected  more  than  was  given, 
or  nothing. 

They  had  manfully  battled  against  all  odds  for  elev- 
en months;  hundreds  of  them  had  refused  places  on 
other  roads  at  the  instance  of  Brotherhood  men  at 
large,  on  the  ground  that  a  battle  could  not  be  fought 


THE    END    OF    THE    GREAT    STRIKE.  457 

without  an  army.  They  had  given  their  sacrifices  un- 
stintinglv  for  the  common  cause,  and  the  settlement 
embodied  in  Mr.  Perkin's  dispatch,  without  other 
written  conditions,  meant  practically  "  You  stop  boy- 
cotting us,  and  we  will  not  boycott  you."  The 
other  conditions,  "selecting  men  from  the  old  employes 
as  they  needed  men,"  has  not  been  lived  up  to  on  any 
part  of  the  line  except  the  Hannibal  and  St.  Joseph, 
and  there  the  engineers  are  asked  to  go  to  work  as  lire- 
men.  The  letters,  with  few  exceptions,  were 
simply  statements,  the  substance  of  which  was :  "John 
Smith  commenced  work  for  the  C,  B.  &  Q.,  as  a  tire- 
man  January,  1880,  was  promoted  to  engineer  in  1884, 
and  quit  the  service  on  account  of  strike,  February  27, 
188S."  Some  of  them  said  lie  gave  satisfaction,  while 
a  very  few  were  real  recommendations,  the  best  letters 
coming  from  Mr-  Stone  himself,  but  Mr.  Stone's  own 
letter  giving  the.  very  best  of  a  recomendation,  has,  to 
my  knowledge,  failed  to  secure  place  on  the  Burling- 
ton, because  of  the  animosity  of  the  local  officials. 
Mr.  Stone  had  said  the  animosities  should  not  continue 
after  the  conflict  was  over,  but  it  is  apparently  as 
rancorous  to-day  as  ever,  with  some  of  the  officials. 
Mr.  Stone  has  lived  up  to  his  own  declarations. 
Transportation  has  been  furnished,  good  letters  bear- 
ing his  signature  have  been  given  to  some  of  the  old 
men,  and  favors  of  whatever  nature  that  have  been 
extended  to  the  old  men  since  the  strike  was  declared 
off,  are  from  the  man  who  said  "  I  never  will  con- 
cede it."  But  that  ever  present  element  of  discord  in 
corporation  authority,  unrestricted  official  prerogative, 
is  a  positive  barrier  against  any  good- will  policy,  and 


45§  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

what  few  old  men  are  left  along  the  line  should  seek 
new  fields,  and  leave  the  Burlington  to  enjoy  its  new 
company. 

The  Burlington  strike,  the  most  vigorously  fought 
on  both  sides  of  any  strike  in  the  history  of  our  coun- 
try, causing  an  immense  loss  of  wealth,  the  sacrifice 
of  place,  the  separation  of  friends,  and  the  creator  of 
enmities,  ought  to  have  in  it,  a  lesson  that  would  be  as 
lasting  as  the  pyramids  of  Egypt,  but  until  corporate 
autocracy  is  changed  to  autonomy,  that  cannot  be  ex- 
pected. The  Brotherhood  lost  the  fight  because  it 
did  not  have  the  machinery  to  concentrate  the  power 
it  possessed,  and  'No  alliances,'  like  the  drunkard's 
whisky,  created  the  vipers  that  sting  it. 

The  firemen  and  engineers  made  a  grand  fight.  I 
put  the  firemen  first,  because  they  were  just  as  stead- 
fast, with  less  at  stake  than  the  engineers.  They 
stood  together  like  brothers,  through  thick  and  thin  to 
the  end,  and  the  Burlington  strikers  should  feel  no 
disgrace  at  defeat;  they  believed  they  were  right 
when  they  struck,  they  still  believe  they  were  right. 
The  preservation  of  the  Brotherhoods  in  their  present 
standing  is  due  to  the  tenacity  with  which  they  stood 
their  ground.  Had  the  strike  been  declared  off  in  the  first 
week  of  March  as  was  advised,  the  Atchison,  Topeka  & 
Santa  Fe  would  not.  have  asked  for  a.  loan  from  their 
enginemen,  they  would  have  taken  it  to  have  and  to  keep, 
wages  would  have  been  reduced  and  the  Brotherhood's 
power  to  resist  would  have  been  gone.  They  voted  to 
stand  their  ground  against  all  advisors,  and  by  so  doing 
they  formed  the  nucleus,  around  which,  gathered  and 
solidified  the  shocked    vitality    of    the    Brotherhoods 


THE    END    OF    THE    GREAT    STRIKE.  459 

and    gave    opportunity   to  realize  the  danger  to  their 
future  and  convert  indifference  into  energetic  help. 

The  current  of  good  will  became  wonderful,  mon- 
ey flowed  like  water  from  the  National  camp  of  the 
Brotherhoods,  all  labor  came  closer  together,  the 
Burlington  strikers  being  the  magnet  of  centralization, 
and  at  the  close  of  the  strike  the  Brotherhoods  stood 
with  vitality  and  numbers  unimpaired;  the  strikers 
themselves  were  great  losers,  but  there  must  be  mar- 
tyrs in  any  cause,  and  this  is  no  exception.  The 
younger  men  will  find  place  and  regain  lost  ground. 
But  there  are  some  men  past  the  age  for'  new  fields, 
whose  sacrifice,  in  the  interest  of  their  fellowmen,  em- 
bodied their  whole  future.  They  must  wait  patiently 
for  that  last  trip,  over  the  river,  and  make  their  last 
report  to  the  great  master  mechanic,  their  Redeemer, 
who  shall  estimate  this  sacrifice.  It  is  hoped  none  of 
them  will  be  permitted  to  make  an  intermediate  trip, 
"over  the  hill  to  the  poor  house." 

Wi*.h  this  exception  the  effect  of  the  strike  to  the 
Brotherhoods  is  entirely  eliminated;  the  lesson  it 
taught  remains.  How  is  it  with  their  opponents,  the 
Burlington  management? 

The  Union  Pacific,  a  parallel  line,  reports  January  5, 
1889.  Earnings  for  eleven  months  to  November  30, 
1888,  $26,880,398;  increase,  $566,504;  expenses, 
$16,444,955;  increase,  $1,307,842;  surplus,  $10,435,- 
443;  decrease,  $741,338. 

C,  B.  &  Q.  STATEMENT. 

Chicago,  III.,  January  5,  1888.  For  the  eleven 
months  to  Nov.  30,  1SS8,  the  gross  earnings  and  expen- 
ses wore  respectively  $21,621,483   and    $16,259,124, 


460  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

and  for  the  corresponding  period  the  year  before  $25,- 
412,  699  and  $13,  885,936. 

The  Union  Pacific  keeping  up  all  its  departments  is 
short  for  1887,  $731,338,  while  the  Burlington  with  the 
greatest  possible  retrenchment  in  even'  department, 
shows  a  loss  of  $6,164,385.  Following  this  comes 
the  March  statement  of  the  Chicago,  Burlington  & 
Quincy.  In  connection  with  statements  previously  made 
it  showed  that  during  the  first  quarter  of  1889  the 
road  did  not  even  pay  its  interest  charges,  being  sever- 
al hundred  thousand  dollars  short.  The  total  net 
earnings  for  the  three  months  ending  March  31  were, 
for  the  Burlington  proper  and  the  Burlington  &  Mis- 
souri River  roads,  $1,579,941.  The  interest  charges 
alone  are  approximately  $550,000  per  month.  In  ad- 
dition to  the  interest  charges,  which  have  not  been 
earned,  the  Burlington  company  is  paying  dividends 
at  the  rate  of  1  per  cent  quarterly,  which  still  further 
swells  the  expenditures  above  the  net  earnings. 

While  financial  disaster  follows  the  Burlington,  the 
Union  Pacific  which  pays  better  wages  than  was  asked 
of  the  Burlington,  shows  a  net  increase  for  January  of 
$172,000,  over  1888.  The  Burlington  system  has 
deteriorated  since  the  strike  of  its  old  employes,  from 
the  best  dividend  paying  road  in  the  west,  to  one  that 
cannot  earn  its  interest,  and  from  one  of  the  best 
manned  roads  in  its  engine  department  to  the  poorest, 
as  their  expense  account  shows.  The  following  from  the 
Aurora  News  of  July  16.  1889,  is  significant:  "Engine 
339  of  the  main  line  was  burned  out  at  Mendota,  Satur- 
day, through  the  carelessness  of  the  engineer  and  was 
immediately  taken  to  Galesburg  for  necessary  repairs." 


THE  END  OF  THE  GREAT  STRIKE.       46 1 

Retrenchment  is  apparent  in  the  following:  "A  large 
amount  of  work  continues  to  accumulate  at  the  differ- 
ent departments  of  the  car  shops,  especially  in  the  car 
department  and  repair  shops,  where  worn-out  coaches 
and  bad  order  cars  of  all  kinds  are  rapidly  increasing. 
Several  tracks  in  the  yards  are  also  crowded  with  such 
disabled  rolling  stock." 

When  we  look  at  the  great  depreciation  in  Burling- 
ton stock,  and  the  immense  direct  lost  the  company 
has  sustained,  and  from  a  surplus  of  two  millions,  to  a 
borrower  of  ten,  we  wonder  if  the  reader  will  think 
the  Burlington,  in  defeating  the  Brotherhood,  won  the 
battle.  They  have  run  their  own  business,  or  rather, 
they  have  run  other  peoples',  to  suit  themselves.  They 
cornered  the  labor  market  in  a  vast  territory,  and  then 
went  on  the  principle  that  "Providence  had  sent  a  few 
men  into  the  world,  ready  booted  and  spurred  to  ride, 
and  thousands  ready  saddled  and  bridled  to  be 
ridden."  The  Burlington  strike  should  be  the  last  of 
its  kind,  but  until  railway  managers  realize  their 
responsibilities  to  all  shareholders,  to  the  public,  and 
the  rights  of  the  labor  they  control,  we  cannot  expect 
such  a  blessing,  labor  will  not  meekly  give  up  its  rights 
and  liberties,  and  until  corporations  shall  "have  dared  to 
come  up  to  the  spirit  of  the  pilgrim  covenant  of  1620 
and  shall  declare  that  all  men  shall  be  consulted  in  re- 
gard to  the  disposition  of  their  lives,  liberties  and 
property,  strikes  will  remain  possibilities.  The  Pil- 
grim fathers  proceeded  on  the  doctrine,  that  everv  man 
was  supposed  to  know  what  he  wanted,  and  had  the 
right  to  a  voice  in  the  disposition  of  himself." 

As  these  conditions  have  not  materialized,  the    use- 


462  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

fulness  of  organized  labor  is  not  over.  Avoiding 
strikes  should  be  one  of  their  cardinal  principles. 
Arbitration,  the  recognized  mediator,  and  balance  of 
justice,  another.  But  the  Burlington  strike  has  dem- 
onstrated the  fact  that  power  is  necessary  to  compel 
the  use  of  these  peaceful  means.  The  Brotherhood 
should  not  forget,  that  evils  which  accrue  to  other 
laboring  men,  bear  as  heavily  upon  one  as  the  other. 
In  writing  this  book  I  have  been  actuated  by  a  desire 
to  soften  asperity,  and  remove  the  causes  of  discord 
and  doubt,  that  organized  labor  might  come  nearer  to- 
gether and  practice  the  golden  rule — "  Do  unto  others 
as  you  would  they  should  do  unto  you."  Washing- 
ton said  "  To  prepare  for  war  was  one  of  the  most  ef- 
fectual means  of  preserving  the  peace."  As  long  as 
trusts  and  corporations  exist,  so  long  will  legal  or  moral 
restraint  be  necessary.  As  there  are  no  legal  restraints, 
organized  labor  must  protect  itself.  A  part  of  the 
province  of  this  work  has  been  to  show  the  conditions 
that  have  made  the  organization  of  labor  necessary, 
but  it  has  not  been  done  with  any  malice  or  attempt 
to  injure  any  party,  and  if  the  reader  shall  find  any- 
thing commendable  within  these  pages  and  the  work 
shall  tend  to  greater  harmony  among  laboring  men, 
and  lead  to  more  pacific  relations  between  labor  and 
capital,  the  compiler  will  feel  that  his  first  and  only  ef- 
fort has  not  been  without  good  results. 

C.  II.  Salmons. 


SKETCH  OF  THE  LIFE  AND  EXPERIENCE 

OF 

CHARLES  H.  FRISBIE, 

FOR 
FORTY-SEVEN    YEARS    A    LOCOMOTIVE    ENGINEER. 


The  author  and  writer  of  this  short  life-story  first 
saw  the  light  in  Cortland  county,  New  York, 
in  1822.  My  father  was  a  farmer  and  a  hotel- 
keeper.  It  was  an  old-time  kind  of  a  hotel,  with  a 
swinging  sign,  ample  grounds,  and  a  house  that  grew 
by  additions.  There  was  nothing  small  at  an  old 
style  hotel  but  the  prices.  The  customers  were  not 
the  loafers  of  the  town  but  were  private  travelers  in 
their  own  carriages  or  on  horseback,  or  movers,  or 
drovers,  or  stage  coach  loads  of  passengers.  There 
were  no  railroads  then  and  farm  wagons  carried  down 
to  the  city  the  products  of  the  farm:  or  light  teams 
of  two  horses,  with  light  loads  for  short  journeys, 
made  the  roads  lively.  The  roads  were  for  months 
impassable  till  a  turnpike  company  elevated  and  lev- 
eled the  road,  put  on  gates,  and  charged  toll  of  all 
travelers.  Droves  of  fat  cattle  and  sheep  and  hogs 
from  western  New  York,  walked  to  their  fate  in  the 
city,  two  or  three  hundred  miles  away.  Drivers 
were  hired  for  a  song,  and  the  lazy  herds  would  walk 
four  or  five  miles  a  day,  and  would  increase  in  weight 


464  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

on  the  journey,  enough  to  pay  the  traveling  expenses. 

These  country  inns  were  usually  five  '  to  six  miles 
apart,  and  afforded  a  local  market  for  hay  and  corn, 
but  at  what  we  should  now  call  give  away  rates. 
Now,  you  can  load  a  car  with  stock  thousands  of 
miles  wrest  and  get  to  market  quicker  than  you  could 
then  from  western  New  York.  People  grew  tired  of 
the  slow  work  and  began  to  think  of  a  more  rapid 
transit.  Then  came  the  Erie  canal  from  Buffalo  to 
Albany  with  its  363  miles  in  length  which  cost  nearly 
eight  millions  of  dollars,  built  by  the  state,  and  a  mon- 
ument of  the  genius  of  Governor  DeWitt  Clinton, 
completed  in  1825.  When  the  ground  was  broken 
for  that  canal,  on  July  4th,  181 7,  my  father  often  said 
he  never  expected  that  he  or  any  of  his  children 
would  live  to  see  it  completed.  Yet  they  all  did  live 
to  see  it  and  many  long  years  after.  The  writer  of 
these  lines  lived  to  see  it  and,  up  to  this  writing,  sixty- 
four  years  more.  Many  of  us  remember  similar  talk  of 
the  Union  and  Central  Pacific  railways.  But  no  improve- 
ments in  this  country  gave  such  a  powerful  stimulant 
to  enterprise  as  the  Erie  canal.  The  immediate  im- 
migration to  the  state  was  immmense,  new  cities 
sprang  up,  and  wealth  poured  in  upon  the  people  from 
every  source.  The  lake  crafts  carried  grain  to  Buf- 
falo, and  the  canal  boats  took  it  to  the  sea  coast,  and 
the  lowered  expense  of  transportation  lined  the  pock- 
ets of  the  farmer,  and  quickened  trade  of  every 
kind. 

Now,  gentle  reader,  you  have  followed  me  along 
the  uphill  to  boyhood.  It  is  now  1837  and  I  am  15, 
and  now  let  us  strike  a  faster  gait.     Let  us  leave    the 


FORTY-SEVEN    YEARS    AN    ENGINEER.  465 

creeping  canal  boat  and  go  by  steam.  A  horse  rail- 
road was  finished  at  Quincy,  Mass.,  about  the  same 
time  that  the  Erie  canal  was  completed,  and,  for  the 
next  fifteen  years,  a  powerful  head  of  steam  in  favor 
of  railroads  left  canals  far  behind.  About  that  time 
the  New  York  Central  was  built  from  Albany  by 
Schenectady  and  Syracuse  to  Buffalo.  We  did  not 
build  railroads  then  as  we  do  now.  Let  us  walk  out 
along  the  track  and  see  how  they  did  it.  The  grad- 
ing was  done,  then  much  as  now.  Now  comes  the 
track.  Teams  of  two  or  four  horses  would  draw 
from  the  sawmill,  beams  eight  inches  thick,  and  as 
wide  as  the  tree  would  allow,  and  as  near  as  may  be 
to  forty  feet  long.  This  was  the  foundation  or  mud- 
sill. It  was  sunk  even  with  the  surface  of  the  ground. 
These  sills  wrere  laid  along  continuously,  one  on  each 
side.  Then  come  the  cross-ties,  split  out  of  white 
oak  with  cavities  to  fit  an  eight  inch  wooden  rail, 
then  comes  a  three  by  two  inch  wooden  ribbon 
and  then  on  top  of  that  an  iron  bar,  one-inch  thick  by 
two  and  a  half  inches  wade.  Now  on  this  cobble  house 
you  may  bring  on  the  cars,  one  by  one,  slowly,  but, 
alas  for  the  engineers  and  the  firemen !  the  engines 
were  mules,  one,  twro,  or  three;  according  to  grades, 
or  length  of  train.  That  was  my  first  engineering!  I 
held  the  throttle  of  those  four-footed  engines  for 
about  a  year.  We  thought  the  railroads  would  revo- 
lutionize the  commerce  of  the  world,  and  so  they  did 
but  not  till  after  the  mules  were  sent  to  grass. 

The  first  steam    engine    run    in    this    country    was 
built  by  Foster,  Rastrick  &  Co.,  at  Stourbridge,  Eng., 
and  was  put  on  the  Delaware  &  Hudson    canal    com- 
32 


^66  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

pany's  railroad  in  1829.  Mr.  Peter  Cooper  built  in 
Baltimore  the  first  engine  ever  built  and  run  by  the 
same  man,  in  America.  This  was  on  the  Baltimore  & 
Ohio  in  1830.  The  supply  of  American  built  engines 
was  slow,  and  many  were  brought  from  England. 
The  three  principal  makers  in  this  country  were  Rog- 
ers, Maqueen  and  Baldwin.  Now,  reader,  you  will 
see  that  I  have  got  far  ahead  of  the  mules,  and  I  will 
call  a  halt. 

Step  this  way  and  look  at  my  new  engine,  the  Phoe- 
nix. George  Howard  of  the  Utica  road  is  engineer. 
Then  comes  the  Varrum,  with  Perk  Howard  at  the 
throttle.  The  next  was  the  Wyoming,  built  in  the 
Auburn  state  prison.  On  board  of  her  I  had  the  honor 
to  be  extra  fireman.  Melank  Mason  was  master  me- 
chanic, and  Milt  Alcott  worked  in  the  roundhouse. 
He  was  the  man  who  built  the  first  head  light  in  the 
United  States.  The  reflector  was  made  of  a  kind  of 
habbitt  metal  with  sixteen  silver  dollars  melted  in  it. 
It  was  about  half  as  big  as  our  present  lamp.  The 
first  head  light  I  ever  saw  was  made  of  wood  and  re- 
sembled  the  shape  of  my  mother's  sun  bonnet,  only  it 
had  one  glass  in  front.  The  back  and  sides  were 
lined  with  tin,  and  the  light  was  about  a  two  candle 
power.     A  bright  full  moon  would  make  it  look  sickly. 

Now,  reader,  if  you  intend  to  stay  by  me,  you  will 
have  to  pull  up  your  stakes  and  come  along.  We  set 
out  now  from  Auburn,  on  the  New  York  Central,  and 
at  Albany  take  the  steamer  Alida  for  New  York  City, 
on  which  the  fare — thanks  to  competition — is  twenty- 
five  cents.  Let  us  take  the  Cortland  St.  ferry  for 
Jersey  City,  and  find  the  engine  Phocion  hitched  to  the 


FORTY-SEVEN    YEARS    AN    ENGINEER.  467 

Philadelphia  train,  Howell  Roe,  engineer,  Charley 
McCleary,  fireman.     I  soon  met  with  the  old  sweeper 

at  the  depot  and  learned  that  there  was  a  fireman 
wanted  for  that  train,  and  that  Tim  Smith  was  the 
boss.  I  found  him.  and  in  three  minutes  I  had  the 
first  regular  job  I  ever  had  on  a  railroad.  Now,  my 
overalls  take  their  place,  and  I  am  assistant  fireman  on 
the  engine  Jersey  City.  All  engines  had  names  then, 
not  numbers  as  now,  and  1  was  happy  as  a  lark.  The 
engineer  got  fifty  dollars  a  month,  first  fireman  twen- 
ty-five, and  myself,  the  assistant  twenty.  Board  was 
one  dollar  fifty  a  week,  and  cigars  two  for  one  cent. 

The  kind  of  engines  used  on  the  New  Jersey  Cen- 
tral road  was  the  Baldwin  make  and  the  Rogers,  both 
kinds  from  American  shops.  These  ran  between  Jer- 
sey city  and  New  Brunswick.  From  New  Bruns- 
wick to  Trenton  they  used  English  engines. 

New  Brunswick  was  the  meeting  place  of  the  two 
different  kinds  or  make  of  engine.  It  so  happened 
that  the  Uncle  Sam  from  the  New  Jersey  road  stood 
over  night  side  by  side  with  the  John  Bull  from  the 
Camden  and  Amboy  road. 

None  of  the  engines,  then,  had  whistles.  In  or- 
der to  give  a  signal  to  apply  the  brakes,  the  engineer 
had  to  raise  the  safety  valve,  which  made  a  noise  sim- 
ilar to  one  you  would  make  in  driving  a  snooping  cat 
out  of  mischief,  and  not  much  louder. 

Every  night  after  we  had  put  our  train  away,  we 
had  to  go  on  a  side  track  to  get  water.  Not  a  drop 
was  there  outside  of  the  well,  consequently  it  had  to 
be  pumped.  In  order  to  do  the  pumping  we  had  to 
run  the  engine  on  a  track  over  the  well,  and  on   a  set 


468  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

of  wheels,  about  the  size  of  the  driving  wheels,  which 
were  connected  with  the  pump.  Then  we  would 
start  the  engine  slowly,  and  that  would  turn  the 
wheels  connected  with  the  pump,  and  we  would  wait 
until  the  tank  was  full.  That  was  not  very  long  for 
the  tank  was  small  and  would  run  three  cars  about 
ten  miles.  After  that  we  backed  the  engine  over  the 
Raritan  river  to  the  engine  house,  run  the  engine  on 
the  turn  table,  disconnect  the  tender  from  the  engine, 
run  the  engine  off  the  table,  push  the  tender  over  up- 
on a  short  side  track,  run  the  engine  back  over  the 
table,  push  the  tender  upon  the  table,  turn  it  the  rest 
of  the  way  around  and  push  it  into  the  house,  then 
turn  the  engine  and  back  her  up  to  the  tank,  then  fill 
the  tank  with  wood,  which  was  the  best  of  Norway 
pine.  That  was  the  best  wood  I  ever  saw  for  gener- 
ating steam,  and  was  had  in  abundance  at  one  dollar 
and  a  half  a  cord. 

Now,  after  going  through  with  all  this  process  the 
night  before,  we  went  down  in  the  morning  and  got 
the  engine  out  and  the  train  hitched  on,  ready  for 
Jersey  City.  The  engineer  takes  his  seat  on  the  right, 
the  first  fireman  on  the  left,  the  second  fireman,  or 
wood  passer,  between  the  engine  and  the  tank,  stand- 
ing of  course,  for  there  is  only  room  for  two  on  the 
engine.  The  brakeman  always  stood  on  the  platform 
on  the  first  car  to  give  signal  for  brakes. 

Now,  it  might  be  interesting  to  you,  patient  reader, 
to  know  what  kind  of  coaches  were  used  at  *hat  time. 
Well,  many  of  them  were  four-wheeled,  hung  on  what 
was  called  thorough  braces.  I  will  try  and  tell  vou 
A  long  time  ago  when  stage  coaches  were  young,  the 


FORTY-SEVEN    YEARS    AN    ENGINEER.  469 

coach  body  swung  on  thorough  braces.  The  thorough 
brace  was  made  of  several  layers  of  strong  harness 
leather,  six  or  seven  inches  wide,  and  fastened  to  the 
back  and  forward  bolster,  one  on  each  side.  Then 
the  body  of  the  coach  was  set  on  these,  and  it  hung 
in  the  middle.  These  strong  straps  served  as  springs 
and  gave  to  the  coach  body  an  easy  movement  up  or 
down,  back  or  forward.  When  the  coach  went  rapid- 
ly and  suddenly  over  something  either  high  or  low, 
the  passengers  were  often  unseated,  hit  the  ceiling  with 
their  heads,  silently  exchanged  seats,  or  introduced  to 
each  other  for  the  fortieth  time,  in  a  mode  more  speedy 
than  polite,  each  one  saying  nothing  but  "Oh!" 
These  coaches  would  hold  only  ten  or  twelve  persons. 
They  had  to  be  hauled  with  horses  part  of  the  way 
over  Bergen  hill,  a  few  miles  west  of  Jersey  City,  a  hill 
that  has  been  tunnelled  several  times.  When  Bergen 
hill  was  passed  so  that  engines  could  be  used  instead 
of  horses,  they  used  larger  cars.  Every  seat  was 
numbered  and  every  car  lettered,  and  your  ticket 
called  for  a  seat  in  a  certain  letter  and  number.  The 
end  doors  were  locked  and  the  passengers  entered  a 
side  door  in  the  center. 

The  principal  production  of  New  Jersey,  then,  1849, 
was  Jersey  lightning  and  buckwheat  cakes.  Jersey 
lightning  was  cider  brandy,  and  the  buckwheat  cakes 
began  soon  after  the  first  frost,  and  they  never  slacked 
up  until  the  shad  came  in  the  spring.  If  you  never 
had  fresh  shad  for  breakfast  you  have  missed  a  good 
thing  that  never  can  be  made  up  to  you.  The  meal 
that  working  people  made  the  most  of  was  dinner,  and 
it  was  an  important  matter,  but  they  licked  their  plates 


470  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

for  supper.  I  hope  the  New  Jersey  schools  are  better 
now  than  fifty  years  ago,  for  then,  most  of  the  fellows, 
in  signing  their  receipts,  made  their  mark  when  they 
receipted  for  their  pay. 

Our  trains  to  New  Brunswick  were  light,  only  two 
or  three  cars,  all  coaches,  with  but  one  freight  train 
on  the  road.  The  engines  were  only  fourteen  by 
twenty  inch  cylinder;  single  driver.  The  two  Phila- 
delphia trains  had  larger  engines,  as  they  had  five  or 
six  cars.  Two  of  their  best  engines  were  built  by 
Roger's,  monsters  for  those  days,  six  feet  double  driv- 
ers, cylinder  thirteen  inch  bore,  twenty-two  inch 
stroke;  the  smaller  engines  had  ten  inch  bore  by 
twenty  inch  stroke.  One  of  these  large  engines  went 
with  the  train  from  Jersey  city  to  New  Brunswick, 
and  on  nearing  the  Passaic  river  the  engineer  saw 
that  the  draw  was  off,  but  he  did  not  see  the  danger 
till  he  was  within  a  fourth  of  a  mile  of  it.  It  was  too 
late  to  hold  the  train  and  down  he  went  with  the  en- 
gine and  baggage  car.  There  was  in  the  baggage 
car  a  deadhead  who  had  left  New  Brunswick  that 
very  morning,  getting  on  board  a  steamer  in  New 
York  bay  just  in  time  to  see  the  steamer  take  fire. 
He  leaped  overboard  and  was  rescued  by  his  swim- 
ming to  an  island.  He  was  picked  up,  and  took  that 
train  for  home  and  went  down  with  the  engineer. 
There  were  three  draw  bridges  on  that  route,  over 
the  rivers  Raritan,  Passaic  and  Hackensack.  I  have 
known  a  fog  from  the  ocean  to  last  for  three  days,  so 
dense  that  you  could  not  see  a  signal  fifty  feet  ahead. 

After  firing  about   three  years  I  got  to  be  extra  en- 
gineer.    Then  I  wanted  to  go  home  and  make  a  visit 


FORTY-SEVEN    YEARS    AN    ENGINEER.  47 1 

and  talk  over  the  news.  Now,  friendly  reader,  pack 
3rour  grip  and  come  along,  for  I  may  stay  some  time. 
Now,  we  take  the  ferry  for  New  York,  the  steamer 
for  Albany,  the  cars  for  Auburn.  There  we  found  the 
cars  running  farther  west,  and  hundreds  of  horses  had 
left  the  stage  coaches  for  eastern  markets. 

About  this  time  there  arose  a  great  excitement 
about  the  Michigan  Central  railroad,  ?.nd  everybody 
with  his  dog  was  o-oino-  there.  This  road  belonged 
to  a  Boston  company  at  that  time,  and  was  built  to 
Kalamazoo,  having  a  track  of  strap  iron. 

We  now  take  a  steamer  for  Detroit.  There  are 
three  steamers  in  one  line,  London,  Canada,  and  At- 
lantic;  the  last  named  is  now  at  the  bottom  of  the  lake. 
She  left  Buffalo  one  night  with  one  thousand  persons 
on  board,  but  she  went  down,  -and  all  on  board  per- 
ished, except  two  boys  by  the  name  of  Becker,  who 
floated  off  on  a  piece  of  the  .wreck.  I  met  these  bovs 
more  than  forty  years  afterwards. 

The  same  company  afterwards  built  a  floating  pal- 
ace, called  the  May  Flower.  She  was  magnificent, 
but  she  went  to  the  bottom  of  Lake  Erie  three  times 
and  then  staid  there.  About  the  last  time  that  the 
May  Flower  went  down  I  was  given  an  engine  on  the 
Michigan  Central,  called  May  Flower,  the  very  engine 
that  gave  name  to  the  steamer,  and  she  tumbled 
me  all  over  the  fields.  That  was  the  only  engine  in 
which  I  was  ever  hurt  in  forty-seven  years  of  engi- 
neering. What's  in  a  name  ?  Nothing  at  all,  per- 
haps, but  all  railroads  have  an  engine  on  which  bad 
luck  rides  oftener  than  on  any  other.  I  was  going  over 
the  switch  at  Dexter,  Michigan,  when  the    bar    that 


47 


THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 


holds  the  rails  in  place,  broke  and  let  the  May  Flower 
down  on  the  frozen  ground  and  ice.  She  began  to 
slew  and  started  up  street,  and  at  about  fifty  feet  from 
the  track  she  turned  up  side  down,  and  where  was  I  ? 
Under  her,  of  course,  caught  by  my  left  foot  with 
steam  blowing  on  it.  But  my  foot  was  on  the  ice  and 
the  steam  thawed  it  loose,  when  I  crawled  out  with  a 
scalded  foot  and  all  my  bones  unbroken. 

Another  time  I  started  with  the  same  May  Flower 
engine,  and  when  three  miles  out  from  Marshall, 
Michigan,  I  ran  over  an  ox  and  threw  the  engine  and 
train,  every  wheel,  from  the  track.  The  engine  rolled 
over  twice  and  a  half  and  lay  on  her  back,  fifty  feet 
from  the  track,  headed  the  opposite  way.  I  looked 
around  and  found  myself,  and  set  up  my  underpinning, 
and  on  taking  an  inventory,  I  found  one  arm  dis- 
abled, m}-  face  and  hands  scalded,  and  my  shoulder 
and  collarbone  were  broken.  The  fireman,  poor  fel- 
low, fared  much  worse,  and  died  in  a  few  days.  Now, 
teli  me  what's  in  a  name  ?  You  may  laugh,  but  I  left 
the  fated  May  Flower  then  and  forever. 

What  did  the  company  do  about  it  ?  They  paid  my 
doctor's  bill,  they  paid  my  full  wages  for  the  full  year 
I  was  laid  up.  I  never  entirely  gained  the  use  of  my 
right  arm. 

Now,  reader,  let  me  introduce  you  to  officers  of  the 
Michigan  Central.  J.  W.  Brook,  general  superintend- 
ent; R.  N.  Rice,  assistant  superintendent;  C.  H.  Hurd, 
general  freight  agent;  three  finer  men  never  lived. 
Now  let  us  go  to  the  roundhouse  to  find  S.T.  Newhall, 
master  mechanic,  another  of  nature's  noble  men.  All 
these  men  have  now  passed  away.     The  death  of  S. 


FORTY-SEVEN    YEARS    AN    ENGINEER.  473 

T.  Newhall  hastened  the  organization  of  the  Brother- 
hood of  Engineers.  The  man  who  took  Mr.  New- 
hall's  place  was  an  overbearing  tyrant.  To  resist  him, 
and  to  secure  justice,  the  engineers  organized  what 
was  then  called  the  Brotherhood  of  the  Foot  Board. 
They  hoped  to  have  him  removed  but  failed  in  this, 
but  out  of  this  society  grew  that  noble  institution,  the 
Brotherhood  of  Engineers. 

About  the  year  1850  my  work  called  me  to  run 
through  a  region  infested  with  hundreds  of  desperate 
conspirators.  At  that  time  the  Michigan  Central  was 
not  fenced,  the  country  was  sparsely  settled,  and  stock 
running  wild  in  the  woods  would  often  get  on  the 
track  and  get  killed,  and  the  company  would  not  pay 
the  damage.  After  much  bickering  without  result, 
the  settlers  along  a  stretch  of  about  twenty  miles  unit- 
ed to  commit  depredations  on  the  company's  men  and 
property.  They  would  burn  timber  on  the  track,  and 
throw  stones  at  engines  and  trains,  and  would  fire  guns 
at  passing  engines,  so  that  we  sometimes  had  to  lie 
down  behind  the  driving  wheel  guards  to  keep  from 
being  shot.  In  the  night  they  would  run  a  hand  car 
just  before  us  for  miles,  to  delay  us.  They  burnt  a 
freight  house  eight  hundred  feet  long  in  Detroit,  the 
upper  part  of  which  was  for  storing  grain.  After  a 
year  or  so,  the  company  sent  men  to  join  them,  as 
spies,  and  to  give  information.  A  conspiracy  was 
hatched  to  burn  a  very  large  elevator  belonging  to  the 
company,  at  Niles.  One  of  the  spies,  on  being  initiated, 
was  ordered  to  burn  that  elevator  and  a  railroad 
bridge.  The  damage  was  averted  by  the  information 
gained. 


474  TIIE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

The  company  was  about  two  years  preparing  for 
its  first  trial  in  the  courts,  and  then  they  arrested 
about  forty  men  all  in  one  day.  They  were  men  who 
professed  to  be  our  best  friends;  they  had  ridden  free 
on  our  engines,  times  without  number.  Some  of 
them  were  in  the  employ  of  the  company;  one  of 
them  was  a  fireman  on  one  of  our  engines.  Thev 
took  a  change  of  venue  for  obvious  reasons,  and  ten 
of  them  went  together  to  the  state  prison,  which  broke 
up  the  conspiracy.  The  attorneys  who  did  a  good 
work  for  the  company,  and  for  morals,  were  Mess. 
Van  Annan  and  Darius  Clark;  both  eminent  in  their 
profession. 

The  Michigan  Central  was  built  from  Detroit  to 
Kalamazoo  without  any  eastern  outlet  except  the  lake 
Erie.  When  navigation  on  the  lake  closed,  in  the 
fall,  commerce  was  closed  on  the  railroad.  The  en- 
gines were  all  laid  up  except  enough  to  run  two  pas- 
senger and  two  freight  trains.  In  my  first  winter  I 
ran  a  freight,  the  next  I  ran  a  passenger  train.  Then 
the  road  was  extended  eastward  through  Canada  to 
Niagara  Falls,  and  there  connected  with  the  New 
York  Central.  I  finally  drifted  west  to  the  Burling- 
ton. That  being  a  prairie  road,  there  was  but  little 
wood  along  its  line,  but  coal  was  abundant;  the  only 
trouble  was  that  no  one  knew  how  to  burn  it,  at  least 
the  method  was  very  little  known. 

At  the  Burlington  shops  in  Aurora,  was  a  man  by 
the  name  of  C.  F.  Jauriet,  master  mechanic  of  that 
road.  I  Ie  was  experimenting  with  coal  burners,  and 
he  succeeded  in  making  as  nearly  perfect  a  coal  burn- 
er as  there  is  in  the  United  States  to-day.     He  had  the 


FORTY-SEVEN    YEARS     W     ENGINEER.  475 

reputation  of  being  the  best  machinist  in  the  country. 
His  firebox  to-day  is  the  most  economical  of  any 
that  I  know  of.  At  his  time  they  had  to  use  copper 
for  fireboxes,  for  they  found  that  steel  would  crack, 
though  at  this  writing  steel  is  used.  His  box  would 
last  ten  and  twelve  years.  He  could  hold  his  engines 
on  the  road  three  to  five  years.  He  well  deserved 
the  title  of  master  mechanic,  yet  he  never  had  credit 
from  his  employers  for  his  skill  or  his  success,  but  he 
was  severely  criticized  and  censured  as  being  expensive, 
and  ignorance  or  willfulness  in  high  places  allowed 
him  to  resign.  How  much  the  company  lost  by  allow- 
ing such  a  genius  to  leave  their  service  can  never  be 
known. 

About  this  time  coal  was  discovered  on  the  line  of 
the  Michigan  Central  road  near  Jackson,  Mich.  It 
was  pronounced  unlit  for  use  by  Allen  Sweet,  master 
mechanic  of  that  road.  It  so  happened  that  while  I 
was  on  a  visit  to  Detroit,  I  saw  Assistant  Superintend- 
ent C.  II.  Ilurd,  of  the  Michigan  Central,  and  I  asked 
him  how  he  got  along  with  his  coal  burners.*  He  said 
they  were  a  failure,  that  the  coal  was  no  good.  I 
then  told  Mr.  Ilurd,  that  I  had  used  some  of  the  coal 
on  the  Burlington  road,  and  found  it  superior  instead 
of  inferior  as  Mr.  Sweet  had  stated.  Superintendent 
Rice  was  informed  of  what  I  had  said,  and  in  a  con- 
versation with  him  I  suggested  to  him  that  he  might 
exchange  engines  with  the  Burlington  and  get  one  of 
Mr.  Jauriet's  engines,  which  would  very  soon  prove 
that  I  was  right,  that  the  fault  was  in  the  engines 
and  not  the  coal.  There  had  been  a  coal  miners' 
strike  in  Illinois  and  the  Burlington  had  from  necessity 


476  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

got  some  of  the  Michigan  coal,  so  I  knew  from  ex- 
perience that  it  was  good,  but  Mr.  Sweet  had  agreed 
to  run  the  road  for  less  money  than  his  predecessor, 
and  he  could  not  do  so  and  change  his  engines  into 
good  coal  burners,  and  he  did  everything  he  could  to 
prevent  the  success  of  the  demonstation.  Shortly  after 
my  return  home,  I  was  sent  for  by  Mr.  Jauriet,  as 
Superintendent  Hammond  of  the  Burlington  had  in- 
structed him  to  send  one  of  his  best  coal  burners  to 
test  some  coal  that  they  could  not  burn.  Master 
Mechanic  Sweet  heard  of  this  move  and  came  to  Au- 
rora to  see  Mr.  Jauriet  and  try  to  exchange  engines 
without  having  the  engine  manned  by  a  Burlington  crew, 
probably  thinking  he  could  defeat  the  test,  but  Mr. 
Jauriet  would  not  allow  his  engines  to  be  condemned 
that  way,  and  engine  34,  with  engineer  and  fireman 
John  Smith  and  Henry  Twist  was  sent;  as  neither  of 
them  knew  the  road  I  was  sent  to  show  them,  when 
I  was  to  return.  At  Chicago  they  gave  us  twenty- 
five  double  deck  cars  of  stock,  and  they  run  us  to 
Marshall,  Mich.,  nearly  two  hundred  miles,  then  we 
took  another  train  to  Detroit,  then  commenced  Mr. 
Sweet's  effort  to  defeat  the  test.  He  had  the  engine 
sent  to  the  dock,  and  the  tank  filled  with  dirty 
slacked  coal,  not  a  piece  in  it  as  large  as  a  hickory 
nut.  Engineer  Smith  naturally  refused  to  go  with 
such  coal,  as  good  coal  was  to  be  furnished.  This  refus- 
al brought  Mr.  Sweet  who  said:  That's  the  same 
coal  that  I  burn  in  my  engines,  and  if  you  cannot 
burn  the  same  you  had  better  take  your  engine  back 
home.  I  said,  Mr.  Sweet  do  you  pretend  to  say  that 
your    engines  will    burn  that  coalr      "Yes  sir,  I  do." 


FORTY-SEVEN    YEARS    AN    ENGINEER.  477 

"I  do  not  believe  you  can  get  steam  enough  with  that 
coal  to  take  your  engine  out  of  this  yard."  Mr. 
Sweet  got  very  indignant,  and  said:"  I  want  you  to 
understand,  you  cannot  come  here  and  dictate  to  me 
what  I  shall  burn  in  my  engines.  I  will  send  you  back 
home."  He  telegraphed  to  Chicago  to  have  me  re- 
called but  they  mistrusted  what  was  the  matter.  An 
answer  came  to  me,  telling  me  to  stay  until  further 
orders,  and  I  staid  until  they  were  all  satisfied  the  coal 
was  good,  which  demonstrated  the  fact  that  Mr. 
Sweet,  like  many  other  officials,  was  working  for  him- 
self more  than  for  the  company. 

On  my  return  to  Aurora  Mr.  Jauriet  sent  me  to 
Chicago  to  take  charge  of  the  engine  house  on  Halsted 
street.  I  only  staid  there  a  short  time.  I  longed  for 
the  free  air  of  the  prairies  again,  and  on  application 
for  a  change  Floyd  Cooly  was  sent  to  take  my  place 
and  I  went  back  on  the  road  again. 

I  would  like  in  my  story  to  mention  the  names  of  a 
few  prominent  railroad  officials  with  whom  I  have  had 
more  or  less  business.  Some  of  them  are  yet  living  at 
the  time  of  this  writing,  September,  1889,  and  a  good 
many  are  not. 

Edward  H.  Williams,  once  general  manager  ot  the 
Chicago  &  Galena  Union.  He  was  familiarly  known 
as  Doctor  Williams.  He  was  a  man  with  whom  it  is 
an  honor  to  have  been  acquainted. 

John  C.  Gavitt  wras  another,  not  only  a  gentleman, 
but  a  successful  railroad  manager. 

E.  T.  Jeffery,  who  was  born,  not  with  a  silver  spoon 
in  his  mouth,  but  writh  a  blackening  brush  in  his  hand. 
He   is   a    skillful  business   man  and  a  good  judge  of 


478  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

men.  As  a  railroad  manager  he  has  no  superior,  and 
an v where  he  is  a  perfect  gentleman. 

Thomas.  J.  Potter  was  another  self-made  man,  of 
good  judgment  and  of  untiring  industry.  When  he 
found  that  he  could  not  agree  with  the  general  aims  of 
a  company,  and  could  not  change  their  plans,  he  would 
quietly  and  honorably  retire  with  the  good  wishes  and 
confidence  of  all  parties. 

Godfrey  W.  Rhodes  was  superintendent  of  ma- 
chinery on  the  Burlington,  a  good  business  man,  and 
in  my  opinion,  a  gentleman. 

Henry  B.  Stone,  the  undeviating  promoter  of  the 
Burlington  interest  in  the  office  of  general  manager, 
was  always  with  me  attentiye,  polite,  and  cordial.  I 
sincerely  belieye  that  if  he  had  been  allowed  to  choose 
his  own  policy  rather  than  be  obliged  to  follow  the 
dictates  of  the  directors,  the  C,  B.  &  Q.  railroad  would 
have  a  treasury    richer,    by  millions,    than  it  is  to-day. 

Now,  my  clever  reader,  we  have  been  friends  to- 
gether for  many  a  trip,  and  I  mean  to  take  you  into 
my  confidence  and  introduce  you  to  my  wife,  Mrs.  C 
M.  Frisbie.  As  the  age  of  a  woman  is  always  a  secret 
I  cannot  tell  you  hers;  but  at  this  writing  I  am  sixty- 
seven  and  it  will  take  her  ten  years  to  get  to  the  same 
point,  but  I'll  never  tell  her  age.  I  can  tell  a  true  story 
about  my  own  little  circle.  One  bright  morning, 
thirty-nine  years  ago,  a  nice  looking  little  youngster 
that  had  no  age  at  all,  came  to  my  house  and  intro- 
duced himself  as  William  W.  Frisbie,  the  first  of  a 
series.  He  was  very  communicative,  had  a  good  deal 
of  self-importance,  but  we  took  care  of  him,  and  at  an 
early  age  we  put  him  in  charge  of  his  father  to  become 


FORTY-SEVEN    YEARS    AN    ENGINEER.  479 

an  engineer.  I  took  this  youngster  with  me  to  lire 
when  he  was  yet  a  lad,  and  we  worked  on  the  same 
truck  for  seven  years.  He  is  at  this  writing,  running 
a  passenger  train  from  Topeka  to  Newton  on  the 
Santa  Fe  railroad,  and  he  is  still  at  his  post.  I  al- 
ways taught  him  to  shun  saloons  as  he  would  vipers 
or  scabs.  I  brought  him  up  in  the  way  he  should  go, 
and  he  went. 

Now,  if  we  stop  and  look  about  us  a  little,  we  shall 
see  wonderful  changes  since  1837,  when  you  lust 
found  me  a  boy  of  fifteen  years.  In  that  time,  Queen 
Victoria  reached  the  throne  and  has  reigned  during 
one  half  the  period  of  the  history  of  the  United  States. 
I  was  born  in  the  administration  of  the  fifth  president 
of  the  United  States,  and  of  all  our  twenty-four  presi- 
dents I  have  lived  under  twenty  of  them.  In  these 
forty-seven  years  of  my  engineering  I  never  had  a 
collision,  but  the  engine  of  the  general  government 
has  passed  through  fearful  perils  and  met  many  an 
accident.  We  have  had  suspension  of  specie  pay- 
ments; sudden  deaths  in  high  places;  infamous  assassi- 
nations; marvelous  discoveries  of  gold  and  silver:  vast 
out-puts  of  petroleum;  great  extension  of  domain ;  many 
visits  from  impecunious  princes  of  the  earth,  not 
omitting  Kossuth  with  his  $100,000  loan;  brutal 
assaults  within  the  federal  buildings;  the  Dred  Scott 
decision  and  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,  and  the  war  that 
followed;  the  struggle  between  capital  and  labor;  the 
nation  embarrassed  by  its  treasury  surplus,  and  strikes 
without  a  parallel  in  their  extent  or  in  the  intelligence 
with  which  emploves  have  demanded  what  they  saw 
to  be  their  rights. 


480  THE    BURLINGTON    STRIKE. 

And  now  we  come  to  the  great  railroad  strikes 
that  since  1877  have  made  inter-state  commerce  so 
uncertain,  and  which,  during  1888,  threatened  all 
railroad  systems,  and  actually  unsettled  one  of  the 
largest  of  them.  This  is  not  properly  the  discussion 
of  a  biographer,  but  it  requires  the  broader  sweep  of 
the  pen  of  the  historian.  That  is  the  subject  of  all 
this  book.  Here  the  individual  is  lost  sight  of  and  the 
subject  of  the  general  good  commands  the  attention 
of  all. 

Now,  reader,  come  and  see  me;  you  will  find  my 
engine  in  the  roundhouse,  Aurora,  Illinois,  but  the 
door  is  locked  and  the  key  is  lost  and  I  have  plenty 
of  time  to  talk.  Bring  your  wife,  or  if  vou  have  none, 
bring  your  best  girl,  and  let  us  spin  the  past  over 
again,  and  map  out  the  future.  But  don't  all  come  at 
once.  And  here  I  conclude  my  biography  as  David 
Crockett  closed  his:  "Dear  reader,  I  bid  you  farewell 
and,  as  the  fox  said  to  the  coon,  we  will  meet  again  at 
the  hatters.*'. 


